They were ready for anything.
Junior pitcher Jaelynn Anthony and senior catcher Kiyah Chavez — Oswego’s battery — knew Monday’s matchup against Marist was worthy of Peoria. And even if winners take the spoils?
“Honestly, I think it’s dumb, whoever set up the brackets, that we meet here,” Chavez said with a knowing nod. “That’s a team that should be going to state, 100%. I’ll die on that hill.
“We should be meeting in the state final game, not a supersectional. We were ranked third in the state and they were ranked second. No way one of us should be getting knocked out here.”
Anthony did the knocking out Monday, however, coming within one strike of throwing a no-hitter during a 5-1 win over the RedHawks in the Class 4A Benedictine Supersectional in Lisle.
The Purdue recruit struck out six and gave up one hit and five walks for Oswego (36-2), which advanced to play at 5:30 p.m. Friday in a state semifinal against Oak Park-River Forest (29-8) at Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria.
Anthony and Chavez, an Iowa commit, helped the Panthers reach state for the second year in a row after leading them to a third-place finish last year in the program’s first trip to the Final Four.
“I’m so excited,” Anthony said. “I’m here to win now, not take third place.”
“Jaelynn threw the best (Monday) I’ve ever seen her pitch,” Oswego co-coach Annie Scaramuzzi said. “She’s getting better in big games.”
It was impressive, considering Marist (35-3) came in with five straight state appearances. The RedHawks won twice, took second twice and also finished fourth while posting a 178-17 record.
“We break their streak?” Chavez said. “Oh, wow, that’s sick.”
Still, it wasn’t easy early as Anthony walked two of the first three batters she faced. She escaped any trouble, though, in a 23-pitch first inning.
A bases-loaded walk by senior first baseman Rikka Ludvigson in the bottom half of the inning gave Oswego a 1-0 lead.
“I’m gonna walk people — I’m not perfect,” Anthony said. “My riseball wasn’t working too well, but I wasn’t pitching anywhere near the plate.”
A look from Chavez helped.
“It’s kind of a thing, kinda like a reset,” Anthony said. “It works without us saying anything.”
Chavez lined an RBI double and senior third baseman Aubriella Garza, a Northern Illinois recruit, followed with a sacrifice fly to highlight a three-run second inning for Oswego.
Insurance came in the fourth from Chavez, whose single to right was misplayed for a two-base error. The relay throw to third base sailed into foul territory, allowing her to score.
Marist’s lone hit by sophomore first baseman Layla Peters came on a 3-2 count with two outs in Anthony’s 25-pitch seventh. An outfield misplay allowed an unearned run to score from second.
Anthony threw 10-13 pitches each from the second inning through the sixth.
“As a pitcher myself, the hardest innings to get through are the first and the last,” Scaramuzzi said. “In the middle there, Jaelynn was dealing. She did a great job of attacking the zone.”
Chavez felt the Redhawks were a threat all game.
“Jaelynn was throwing fast,” Chavez said. “I was thinking, ‘This girl is determined.’ But it’s Marist. They’re extremely talented. It’s been a thing before — we’ll get up and then kind of chill.
“At this point, you can’t chill. This sport is so bang, bang, anyone can do anything at any time. It was important to keep the bats rolling.”
Chavez told Anthony that she thought this was going to be a “four core” game, referring to the team’s Nos. 2-5 hitters, which are Chavez, Garza, Anthony and Ludvigson.
“The bottom of our lineup was struggling after pulling us through the last few games,” Chavez said. “It was our turn.”
Scaramuzzi, meanwhile, had no complaints about the schedule.
“It’s just the way the cookie crumbled for us this year,” she said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way because we’re playing our best softball.”
