2 days ago
Claire Connelly has been here before. With Mundelein in need of a run, Indiana State commit sprints for one.
Mundelein senior Claire Connelly is used to displaying her power.
A four-year starter, the Indiana State recruit is widely known as a slugger with an impressive ability to put the bat on the ball. She hits to all fields and knocks a fair share out of the park. She's also a standout first baseman.
On Thursday, Connelly showed something more. In the top of the seventh inning, in her first at-bat since striking out for the first time all season, she hit a long fly ball to right-center field that was misplayed by a Stevenson outfielder, and she hustled all the way to third base.
'I saw both of them coming toward center and just tried to give it my all because it could've been my last at-bat of my high school career,' Connelly said. 'I kept running, and the ball dropped.
'If I didn't run as fast as I did, I would've only gotten to second, so I'm glad I sprinted full speed because it gave me an extra base.'
That proved to be particularly important for Mundelein because its next batter, junior Shea Eaman, hit a ground ball to the right side of the infield. Connelly ran home and scored the only run of a Class 4A Stevenson Sectional semifinal as the fifth-seeded Mustangs upset the top-seeded Patriots 1-0 in Lincolnshire.
'Claire was so determined to take the game over herself because she's done it so many times,' Mundelein coach Heather Ryan said. 'She got fooled once, but she wouldn't let it happen to her again. There was no one else I wanted at bat in that moment. She wanted it so badly.'
The Mustangs (23-10), who will play 11th-seeded Loyola in the sectional championship game at 11 a.m. Saturday, and the Patriots (28-4) each had only one hit in the pitchers' duel.
Mundelein junior left-hander Sophia Zepeda (9-4) earned the victory, striking out eight and navigating six walks, to keep her team on track for a second straight trip to the state semifinals. Stevenson junior right-hander Ava Potempa (16-3) struck out seven and walked one.
'Sometimes in close games, when no one scores, it comes down to whatever team messes up first,' Stevenson coach Vera Pflugradt said. 'We've done a great job defensively all year. This is a great group of girls, and they bought in and had a great season.'
Connelly said her rare strikeout against Potempa may have helped her.
'I think not striking out put a lot of pressure on me to not do it,' she said. 'Once it happened, I was fine, and I thought about my next at-bat. I seemed to be getting more pitches in the zone. I took what I did and was successful.'
Ryan said Connelly has a lot to do with the Mustangs being successful. Connelly holds the program record for career RBIs and heads into the sectional final batting .477 with eight doubles, two triples, six home runs, 44 RBIs and 30 runs scored. She also has a .986 fielding percentage.
'Claire is the heart and soul of our team,' Ryan said. 'She's been the constant, someone so reliable throughout the years. She's mentored the younger players and raised the bar of expectations for our whole team. We go as she goes.'
Ryan said Connelly helped Zepeda overcome control issues.
'Claire played a complete game today,' Ryan said. 'She played excellent defense and calmed Sophia down. She brings that senior leadership. We've had such an up-and-down season with injuries. She was the face of the team and helped us ride the waves and slumps.
'I was so happy she had the hit and scored the run. It was a great reward for her.'
Zepeda said she never doubted whether Connelly would come through in the seventh inning.
'I knew Claire was going to get the job done,' Zepeda said. 'She always comes up big. I was little off today, and my spin was not so great, but she saved us.'
Mundelein junior outfielder Kieley Tomas said Connelly is a calming presence for everyone.
'I've been playing with Claire since she was 10 years old,' Tomas said. 'She's always been a player to come through in the big moments. She's a great role model for everyone. She's always positive and tells us to put our best foot out there.'
Connelly said she hopes to play three more games for the Mustangs.
'I never thought I would have the career or the seasons I did,' she said. 'But I'm so grateful to my teammates for supporting me.'
