Part of a new wave of underclassmen for Antioch, sophomore pitcher Stella Dohrmann wanted to establish her position on a talented roster this season.
Dohrmann has found her place, to say the least. She started in the circle for the Sequoits in the Class 3A Kaneland Supersectional in Maple Park on Monday.
“Going from JV to varsity, I was really proud of myself,” she said. “I just knew I had to work really hard to prove myself and earn a spot.”
Dohrmann showed what she can do against Prairie Ridge, throwing seven scoreless innings. But the Wolves scored the winning run on a wild pitch by Antioch freshman Addison Osborne in the eighth inning to pull out a 1-0 victory.
With the loss, the Sequoits (24-14) fell short of a fourth consecutive trip to the state semifinals. Indiana recruit Reese Mosolino kept their bats silent for most of the game to lead Prairie Ridge (28-1-1), allowing just two infield hits to Antioch junior shortstop Claire Schulyer, a Minnesota recruit.
But Dohrmann impressed Mosolino.
“I could tell she has a lot of potential,” Mosolino said.
Dohrmann (6-4), who allowed seven hits and walked four, nearly matched Mosolino to keep the Sequoits in the game. Dohrmann said her drop curve and curveball were her two main pitches.
“When those two pitches are on, I know I’m going to have a good day, and I had a good day today,” she said.
With runners on second and third in the top of the seventh, Dohrmann dug deep to force a groundout to keep the game scoreless.
“Stella hung in there and did a great job,” Antioch coach Anthony Rocco said. “She kept them off balance and got out of several jams.”
The Wolves benefited from a one-out error in the eighth, and Bella Moore and Autumn Ledgerwood followed with singles to load the bases.
Rocco decided to bring in Osborne, who induced a pop-up for the second out. After the wild pitch, Osborne closed out the inning with a strikeout. But Mosolino retired the Sequoits in order to send the Wolves to the state semifinals.
Even with tears in her eyes, Dohrmann expressed confidence about the future.
“I’m very excited for the next few years because I know we’re going to have the bats again and more pitchers coming in,” she said.
Of course, the Sequoits will also have Dohrmann, who finished with a 3.40 ERA in 67 1/3 innings. Rocco said she has come a long way since the start of the season, when the team was searching for a go-to pitcher following the graduation of four-year ace Jacey Schuler, who is a freshman at Michigan State.
“Stella didn’t know what her role would be this year,” Rocco said. “She gives us something a little different than our other pitchers. She panned out for us.”
Antioch junior catcher Addie Webb, a Bradley commit, noted Dohrmann’s improvement over the course of the season.
“She has progressively gotten a lot better,” Webb said. “I think her mentality got a lot better after being timid at first. It clicked for her.”
Antioch junior first baseman Sam Hillner said Dohrmann was particularly good at the end of the season.
“The past two games she had a different look and has been locked in,” Hillner said.
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.
