Newark’s Danica Peshia lives for such moments.
The junior second baseman/outfielder proved it Tuesday, hitting a tying, two-out, two-run homer to send a Class 1A sectional semifinal with Streator Woodland into extra innings.
Two innings later, Peshia’s two-out single drove in Kodi Rizzo with the winning run, advancing the Norsemen to Saturday’s championship game against rival Ottawa Marquette.
And here she was again, game on the line, two outs, striding toward the batter’s box.
Hollywood script writers can make stuff like this up. The rest of us just sit back and watch.
“All I said to myself as I stepped into the box was, ‘This is exactly where I wanted to be,'” Peshia said. “Same thing I said the other night. It was amazing. You have to relax, really.”
Peshia’s swing came up just short this time, however, and the Crusaders escaped with a fortunate 8-6 decision at Triton College in River Grove that was definitely squirm worthy.
Ottawa Marquette (25-6), which lost to the Norsemen (30-2) by the same score in March, moves on to face Heyworth at 11 a.m. Monday in the Illinois Wesleyan Supersectional.
The teams reversed roles this time, with the Crusaders building an early 4-0 lead on a two-run homer and an RBI single by Taylor Cuchra in support of winning pitcher Kaylee Killelea.
Newark, however, pulled within 4-3 in the top of the fifth inning on a three-run homer from junior third baseman Ryan Williams. It was her fourth home run of the season.
“That was a big energy boost,” said Rizzo, who relieved starter Kaitlyn Schofield three batters into the third inning. “You could feel it in the dugout.”
Ottawa Marquette responded with four runs in the bottom of the fifth to take an 8-3 lead, but Rizzo hit a three-run homer with two outs off Cuchra, who relieved Killelea in the sixth.
“I just felt it off the bat,” Rizzo said of her fifth homer of the season, coming on the first pitch of the at-bat. “I knew I couldn’t let a good pitch go by.
“The first strike is usually the best one, then they try to mix in a bunch of stuff to make you think. I knew I had to capitalize on the first good pitch.”
Schofield then drew a walk and Ottawa Marquette coach Brad Oakes flipped his pitchers again, bringing back the left-handed Killelea back to face Peshia.
The Crusaders scouted well, pitching Peshia carefully all game, but she still drew a walk and hit two singles. Her eighth homer of the season would have been welcome.
Despite his team’s early struggles, Newark coach Tim Schofield couldn’t have asked for much more.
“When Dani gets up, we all know something can happen,” Rizzo said. “She’s most likely going to put it in play. She’s a good hitter like that. She capitalizes on pitches. It doesn’t matter the count, and she works very well.
“She’s one of the best hitters I’ve ever seen in travel or in high school, especially pitching against her one time in travel ball and her being a catcher. It’s hard.”
The weather could have cooperated, too. A breeze had been blowing in from right field the whole game.
“As soon as Dani stepped into the box, I felt the wind pick up a little bit and thought, ‘Oh man, that stinks,'” Tim Schofield said. “The flags turned and came straight in (from center) as soon as I looked up.”
With two singles off Killelea, Peshia felt comfortable facing her again, but she felt a difference in the wind as well.
She drove a deep fly ball to center into the teeth of the wind but it was caught for the third out. Killelea followed by striking out two in 1-2-3 seventh.
“She didn’t get enough,” Tim Schofield said of Peshia. “It was close. She just missed it.”
The teams have gone back and forth lately, with Newark winning in the regional final last spring and taking fourth in the state. Ottawa Marquette won the year before, also in the sectional.
“It happens,” Peshia said. “It comes down to who shows up. Unfortunately, it wasn’t us (Saturday).”
