The Herscher softball team awaits Zoey Fleischauer's arrival at home plate after her grand slam in the seventh inning of Wednesday's IHSA Class 2A Pontiac Sectional semifinal against Coal City. Fleischaiuer's slam was part of a seven-run seventh that turned a 6-2 deficit into a 9-6 win.
Herscher's Zoey Fleischauer reacts to watching third baseman Kayna Nelson catch the final out of the Tigers' 9-6 win against Coal City in Wednesday's IHSA Class 2A Pontiac Sectional semifinal.
Coal City's Makenzie Henline, left, fields a late throw at first base as Herscher's Mary Kanak safely reaches first base during Wednesday's IHSA Class 2A Pontiac Sectional semifinal.
Herscher's Zoey Fleischauer, center, is escorted off the field by teammates, Addie Whitaker, left, and RyLyn Adams after her go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning of Wednesday's IHSA Class 2A Pontiac Sectional semifinal against Coal City.
Herscher's Zoey Fleischauer, right, attempts to throw Coal City's Sierra Anderson at first base during Wednesday's IHSA Class 2A Pontiac Sectional semifinal.
Herscher's Mary Kanak reacts to seeing teammate Zoey Fleischauer's go-ahead grand slam clear the fence in the seventh inning of Wednesday's IHSA Class 2A Pontiac Sectional semifinal against Coal City.
Herscher's Zoey Fleischauer smiles as she sees her teammates gather near home plate to greet her after hitting the go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning of Wednesday's IHSA Class 2A Pontiac Sectional semifinal against Coal City.
Herscher's Keira Ahramovich, left, and Annistin Hackley celebrate an out during Wednesday's IHSA Class 2A Pontiac Sectional semifinal against Coal City.
Herscher's Mary Kanak runs towards third base as Coal City's Mia Ferrias fields the ball in the background during Wednesday's IHSA Class 2A Pontiac Sectional semifinals.
The Herscher softball team awaits Zoey Fleischauer's arrival at home plate after her grand slam in the seventh inning of Wednesday's IHSA Class 2A Pontiac Sectional semifinal against Coal City. Fleischaiuer's slam was part of a seven-run seventh that turned a 6-2 deficit into a 9-6 win.
Herscher's Zoey Fleischauer reacts to watching third baseman Kayna Nelson catch the final out of the Tigers' 9-6 win against Coal City in Wednesday's IHSA Class 2A Pontiac Sectional semifinal.
Coal City's Makenzie Henline, left, fields a late throw at first base as Herscher's Mary Kanak safely reaches first base during Wednesday's IHSA Class 2A Pontiac Sectional semifinal.
Herscher's Zoey Fleischauer, center, is escorted off the field by teammates, Addie Whitaker, left, and RyLyn Adams after her go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning of Wednesday's IHSA Class 2A Pontiac Sectional semifinal against Coal City.
Herscher's Zoey Fleischauer, right, attempts to throw Coal City's Sierra Anderson at first base during Wednesday's IHSA Class 2A Pontiac Sectional semifinal.
Herscher's Mary Kanak reacts to seeing teammate Zoey Fleischauer's go-ahead grand slam clear the fence in the seventh inning of Wednesday's IHSA Class 2A Pontiac Sectional semifinal against Coal City.
Herscher's Zoey Fleischauer smiles as she sees her teammates gather near home plate to greet her after hitting the go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning of Wednesday's IHSA Class 2A Pontiac Sectional semifinal against Coal City.
Herscher's Keira Ahramovich, left, and Annistin Hackley celebrate an out during Wednesday's IHSA Class 2A Pontiac Sectional semifinal against Coal City.
Herscher's Mary Kanak runs towards third base as Coal City's Mia Ferrias fields the ball in the background during Wednesday's IHSA Class 2A Pontiac Sectional semifinals.
PONTIAC — Had a pebble in the Pontiac infield dirt laid a different way, or had Coal City third baseman Abby Gagliardo not been heads up enough to not touch it and hope it would finally roll foul — which it ended up doing — Herscher’s Zoey Fleischauer would have executed one of the most perfect squeeze bunts to be found on a high school softball diamond.
With the Tigers trailing Wednesday’s IHSA Class 2A Pontiac Sectional semifinal 6-5 with the bases loaded and one out in the top of a seventh inning that had already seen them plate three runs, Fleischauer took it upon herself to lay down a squeeze with speedster Mary Kanak representing the tying run on third and Gagliardo playing at a somewhat traditional depth at the hot corner.
By the time anyone other than Fleischauer, Kanak and Herscher coach Mike Cann had realized Fleischauer was attempting a game-tying bunt with the bases loaded and a force out at home, the beautiful bunt flirted with the foul line as it rolled from home plate towards third base in what would have been a surefire game-tying RBI bunt single.
That foul bunt turned out to be the best thing to happen to the Tigers season, as Fleischauer fought Coaler freshman pitcher Masyn Kuder for what became a nine-pitch at-bat that resulted in a towering grand slam that put the Tigers up 9-6.
The slam capped off a seven-run seventh before the home-run hero recorded the final three outs in the bottom of the seventh to send Herscher to Friday’s sectional championship.
“I was so mad when that bunt was foul, and then that hit, that was amazing,” Fleischauer said. “Once I saw it go over, I was jumping up and down.”
The Tigers, who were swept by their Illinois Central Eight Conference rivals by a combined 17 runs this season, improved to 27-8 and earned a spot opposite Beecher in Friday’s sectional championship. The Coalers took a heartbreaking end to a 29-9 season.
As early as last year’s seven-run seventh inning in regular season action against the Coalers, and again enforced last month when Fleischauer hit a walk-off home run to cap off a 6-5 comeback over Normal Unviersity High, Cann has come to expect some magical moments from this group that he refers to as the “never say die Tigers.”
“Even at 6-2, I felt like we had done it early in the year against U-High, these never say die Tigers,” Cann said. “The bloop hits finally started to fall, and it’s hard to get the ball to fall against a great-fielding Coal City team.”
After struggling to solve Kuder for much of the first six innings, the Tigers were able to turn the tide in the seventh. After Keira Ahramovich’s grounded out to open the inning, RyLyn Adams’ single to center started a train of nine consecutive Tigers to reach base.
Emma Powers and Allie Decman notched back-to-back infield hits, with Decman’s coming after a wild pitch put ducks on the pond, hit lightly enough to shortstop Makayla Henline that enabled Powers to score on the throw to first to make for an improbable two-run infield hit.
Kanak bunted for a hit before Addie Whitaker loaded the bases with a single of her own to load the bases. Kayna Nelson continued the carousel on a bloop RBI single to right and kept the bases packed for Fleischauer.
After the bunt that never was, Kuder and Fleischauer locked in for an incredible nine-pitch at-bat that saw the Herscher senior foul off four more pitches and take a pair of balls before sending the go-ahead grand slam just left of center field.
“We just realized now was the time,” Fleischauer said of the late-inning magic. “It was coming to an end and it was now or never.
“We started to play for each other and pulled it out.”
Fleischauer was called into the pitchers circle an inning before to relieve Annistin Hackley, who was locked in with Kuder in what was a pitcher’s duel for much of the game’s early portion.
And after the adrenaline rush that came with one of the biggest hits in Herscher softball history, she had to calm herself down enough to finish the game off, something she did in four batters in the seventh, allowing just a Khloe Picard single.
“It was nerve-wracking, but I just focused on my breathing, calming myself as much as possible and focusing on my mechanics and pitching like I know how to,” Fleischauer said.
The Coalers recorded consecutive regional titles for the first time since they followed up a 2009 IHSA Class 2A third-place finish with an undefeated state title in 2010 and had their highest win total since that state run. They said goodbye to one of their most pivotal pieces in senior first baseman Kerigan Copes, but will run back the rest of the roster next season.
“We’ve just got to come back and learn the game, work on our IQ a bit; we have to work on those small things that will win a game,” Coalers coach Rodney Monbrum said. “Those small things didn’t go our way, and credit to Herscher for that.
“We’ll come back and the goals will be the same — win 20 games, win the conference and win a regional,” he added. “We checked a lot of those off, but it’s unfortunate because I thought we had a little more left in the tank.”
STAT BOOK
Fleischauer’s slam was her lone hit in four at-bats. Nelson was 3-for-4 with a double, three RBIs and a run. Kanak had a hit and scored twice. Decman had two hits, two RBIs and a run. Becca bond and Whitaker had a pair of hits as well and Whitaker scored. Hackley allowed five runs (three earned) on six hits in five innings. Fleischauer allowed an earned run on three hits in two innings.
Picard had two doubles, a single and two runs to lead the Coaler bats. Mia Ferrias went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs. Makenzie Henline went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Copes also had a pair of hits. Addison Harvey singled, walked and scored three runs. Kuder allowed nine earned runs on 13 hits in 6 1/3 innings before Bri Combes recorded the final two outs.
Mason Schweizer is an award-winning reporter who has been with the Daily Journal since 2017 and sports editor since 2019. Save for time at the University of Illinois and Wayne State College, Mason is a lifelong area resident.
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