Think of the signature lines uttered by the great sports announcers.
The late Jack Buck’s “I don’t believe what I just saw.”
Dick Enberg’s “Oh, my.”
Al Michaels’ “Do you believe in miracles?”
Any of them could be used to describe what the Oak Park and River Forest softball team accomplished Saturday night.
In one of the longest and most dramatic state championship games in IHSA history, the Huskies captured their second state title and first since 2005 by edging Normal West 4-2 in 10 innings in the Class 4A final at EastSide Centre in Peoria.
The epic game, which lasted 2 hours and 40 minutes, featured several stunning plays.
Normal West (29-10), which had upset Downers Grove South 3-1 in Friday’s semifinals, was one strike away from winning its first state title in any sport until OPRF shortstop Maeve Nelson blasted a 2-2 pitch from Seton Hall-bound Reganne Camp over the right fielder’s head for a game-tying triple in the top of the seventh.
Then freshman second baseman Fiona Girardot belted a two-out, two-run double to left to score Samantha Linde and Nelson in the 10th inning for what turned out to be the game-winning hit.
And junior Chardonnay Harris, who pitched eight shutout innings in relief of Emily Richardson, ended it by striking out Amanda Rogers with the tying runs on in the bottom of the 10th.
It was the 27th consecutive victory for the Huskies (37-2), who broke the school record for wins.
“It brings me to tears,” Harris said. “It’s probably the best thing I’ve ever felt so far in my life, maybe until the day I get married.”
Harris, an Auburn recruit, battled through a sore back and a toe injury to throw 15 innings in 24 hours. The southpaw took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before settling for a one-hit shutout with nine strikeouts in OPRF’s 5-0 semifinal victory over DeKalb, giving Huskies coach Mel Kolbusz his 675th career win.
Senior ace Emily Richardson gave up two unearned runs, one on a safety squeeze and the other on a single, in the first inning as the Wildcats grabbed the early lead. The Valparaiso recruit, who finished 20-0 this season, retired the side in order in the second, but Kolbusz brought in Harris to start the third.
Harris (15-2) allowed five hits and two walks and struck out 13 to complete a campaign that saw her post an 0.81 ERA with 11 walks and 183 strikeouts. She said her back was numb afterward.
“At this point I can’t feel it, so I feel amazing,” Harris said. “I was ready for my team. I’ve been playing for them the whole year, so today wasn’t any different.”
Unlike their coach, the Huskies claimed they never doubted they would win, even as Camp mowed them down through the first five innings.
Camp struck out 15, a Class 4A title-game record, and allowed only one unearned run. The Huskies finally broke through in the sixth when Caitlyn Santiago’s two-out single scored Girardot, but Normal West center fielder Brooklyn Bane threw out freshman pinch-runner Nellie Kamenitsa-Hale at home plate to end the inning.
The Huskies were down to their final strike when Nelson stepped to the plate after Ellie Ziegler reached on an error in the seventh.
“I was praying in the dugout a little bit, but the kids came through,” Kolbusz said. “It’s been about two weeks now that we’ve told them, ‘We’ve taught you everything that you need to know.’
“We had a short practice this morning, about 1-1/2 hours, and the three of us coaches kind of sat back in the dugout and (the players) ran everything. They did a great job.”
And always kept the faith.
“We never stopped,” Harris said. “Our whole motto was to win state this year and that’s what we did. We weren’t going to give anything less.”
The Northwestern-bound Nelson had confidence even as the Wildcats were on the verge of a celebration that never happened.
“Chardonnay always says this motto whenever we’re losing: ‘If not now, then when?’ and that’s basically what I was thinking,” Nelson said. “This is our last chance. I have to do this for our seniors.
“It was all for the seniors. They deserved it. They worked so hard all four years.”
OPRF may have taken the lead in the seventh if Nelson hadn’t been picked off third base, but she would come through again in the 10th.
Linde reached base on an error and was bunted to second by Ziegler.
Nelson then drew a walk and both runners advanced when Richardson tapped back to the mound. That brought up Girardot, who drove a first-pitch fastball to the fence in left.
“The whole time I knew (Camp) was getting me (out) with changeups, so I thought just focus on one pitch at a time and take it easy,” Girardot said. “I knew we were going to get the job done.
“Low fastball inside and I just dropped my barrel to the ball and once I hit it, I just knew it was a hit.”
Nelson was not surprised that the youngest Huskie came through with the game-winning knock.
“I knew she was going to come through,” Nelson said. “She’s so awesome at hitting the inside pitch.
“I saw the catcher set up on the inside. We always try to call pitches for each other and I told her it’s coming inside. I knew she was going to turn on it.”
The Wildcats had one final turn and made things interesting. The Bradley-bound Bane led off with a bunt single before Ellie Sonetz lined out to Nelson. Sydney Hollings hit into a force play before Camp singled to bring the winning run to the plate, but Harris struck her out with her 128th pitch of the game.
That allowed Richardson, Linde, Santiago and outfielders Ireland Flannery and Hannah Hassan to end their careers as champions.
“It’s a good feeling,” Richardson said. “I’m really excited to go out (on top) with these girls.”
Richardson wasn’t bothered that she didn’t finish the game in the pitching circle.
“I’m behind everything (the coaches) choose because obviously they got us here, so that’s what is really cool,” Richardson said. “It gives me confidence that (Kolbusz) knows what he’s doing. Even if we didn’t (win), I still would have been 100 percent behind the coaches every play of the game.”
Kolbusz, who has guided OPRF to five state trophies since 2003, including two in the past two years, gave high praise to his players.
“It might be my all-time favorite team,” Kolbusz said. “This is an awesome group of girls.
“They’re hard workers, they’re responsible, they’re a pleasure to coach. They’re just great kids and I’m so happy for them that they won this.”
