The Oak Park and River Forest High School softball team started the IHSA postseason in impressive fashion, outscoring its two opponents, Niles West and Taft, by a combined 22-2 margin. But in the Class 4A Maine South Sectional final, May 31, the Huskies could manage just one hit, a Tyler Brock single, during a season-ending 2-0 defeat to Whitney Young.
“We clearly got beat,” said OPRF coach J.P. Coughlin. “[Young] made every play, their pitcher threw strikes, and they came up with timely hits. At the end of the day, we didn’t get enough good swings. We didn’t play bad, but Young played great.”
OPRF junior pitcher Anna Topel delivered a splendid performance in the loss. She allowed two runs on seven hits and posted seven strikeouts in seven innings.
“Anna had nothing; she couldn’t throw any of her off-speed pitches for strikes,” Coughlin said. “But she grinded and got us out of jam after jam.”
Young scored in the top of the first when Chiqui Vasquez tripled with one out and then scored on an RBI groundout by Kate Coonan. The Dolphins tacked on an insurance run in the seventh on a two-out RBI single from Emily Rodriguez.
In the bottom of the seventh, junior Maura Carmody reached on an error by Young shortstop Vasquez with one out to keep hopes alive for OPRF (28-10). But Dolphins’ pitcher Nyah Allen, the Chicago Public League Player of the Year, got Topel to pop out to Vasquez for the second out, then induced a fielder’s choice groundout by Rachel Buchta to end the game.
“They dominated us like we dominated other teams,” Coughlin said. [Allen] was fantastic; we only hit a couple of balls hard off her.”
Although they fell short of repeating last year’s trip to the 4A state finals, Coughlin said the Huskies had a very good season, but it’s difficult when the season objective is not fulfilled.
“There’s a lot to be happy about,” Coughlin said, “but my heart breaks, especially for the seniors (Brock, Buchta, Jordan Alioto, Macy Callahan, Audrey Dumelle, Aria Hammerschmidt, Alex Kahn, and Lily Menconi). After we had a down season a couple of years ago, they turned the program around. I’m going to miss them.”
OPRF had five players named to the West Suburban Silver All-Conference Team: Brock (third consecutive season), Carmody, Topel, and juniors Gloria Hronek and Julia Mattiace. With the exception of Brock (Lake County College signee), all are scheduled to return next year, along with juniors Sofia Ayala, Molly Chambers, and Elyssa Hasapis and sophomore Georgia Godellas.
Alioto, Buchta, Callahan, Dumelle, Hammerschmidt, Kahn, and Menconi were named to the WSC Silver All-Academic Team.
Coughlin believes OPRF should be in the hunt for the conference and state championships next year.
“We’ll bounce back and learn from this,” he said. “We’re going to keep developing the kids, and we’ll be OK. We set high expectations and think we’re in play for state every year.”
OPRF boys volleyball
OPRF (25-10) lost in the Sandburg Sectional final, May 28, to Lyons Township 23-25, 25-22, and 12-25. The loss marked the first time since 2016 that the Huskies did not reach the state quarterfinals.