State Softball: Quitting Is Not An Option

In three of its last four games, the Sterling Softball team was
trailing going into its last at-bat, and proceeded to put
runners in scoring position each time.

A late-game lesson just in time for the new high school sports season ...

Big plays might make sports games seem insurmountable at certain points. However, the finishes are almost always at a predetermined period of time down the road. Leading up to that ending, a trailing team's challenge of coming back when time is short begins to take shape.

The Sterling High School varsity softball team understood that situation when time was short during the final inning of its sectional final game against Marengo on June 1.

Down 5-1 with two outs in the seventh inning, the Golden Warriors' last breath brought new life into the team. They were able to score five runs without getting that fatal out to win the sectional championship and later advance to the IHSA Class 3A State Finals at EastSide Centre in East Peoria on June 6-7.

Sterling brought to East Peoria the knowledge of what it is like to have backs against the wall and to get themselves out of it.

Head coach Rick Henderson attributes this to attitude – a popular motto within the program.

Sterling's first game at State was against Marquette High School of Alton, Ill. The Golden Warriors were unable to win the game, falling 3-2 to try for either third or fourth place in Class 3A. Much of the troubles came against Marquette pitcher Alexis Silkwood, one of Illinois's top pitchers.

“We've had attitude shirts that we've bought for the past five years. We try to preach attitude, attitude, attitude,” Henderson said after the game. “They took that right into the batter's box today against one of the best pitchers you're going to see in a while. Every single player stepped in there with an attitude, with a belief, with something on their mind that they could do to help this team. I saw no quit. All season, let alone today.”

Marquette posted a 3-0 lead in the third inning and the Golden Warriors were only able to tally up on before the bottom of the seventh inning. That's when Sterling junior Karlie Mellott banged out a leadoff homerun off Silkwood past the right field fence. That momentum shift brought back the feeling of fighting with time running out, although coming up short in the end.

“We never quit,” Mellott said. “We never quit. All the way down the stretch getting here, with the tough game in the sectional, we never give up. We're all in the dugout yelling, cheering everybody else on, picking everybody else up. You can't teach that. As a team, that's so great to see.”

“We never let up. Every time we're in the dugout, we're always constantly cheering and making sure that we have each others backs,” said fellow junior Darien Bardoner. “You can see on the field when one of us strikes out, the next one does something to pull each other up. We've always had each other, and that's how we've been since we were little. It paid off for a sectional championship, but we were so close this time.”

Now having to face off against Tinley Park High School in the consolation game, this would be the team's last showing of the season. Despite posting a 4-2 lead after five innings, Tinley Park came back to go up 5-4 before the bottom of the seventh, and the backs against the walls again.

Mellott, leading off once more, doubled to left field and later came to third on a sacrifice. With the tying run 90 feet away, a grounder to the shortstop ended the second comeback run in a 24-hour span.

Despite being an all too familiar feeling, Sterling's dugout appeared cheerful and determined once more during that seventh inning.

“Although we didn't come out winning any games, it's still a great experience to be here,” said Sterling senior Stephanie Kester, who pitched both games for her team. “It takes a good team to be here, and we did that.”

It is safe to say that the fourth-place finish was made possible by the team's attitude.

“People are going to ask them questions not about how you lost, but about how in the world you keep fighting like you do,” concluded Henderson, who recently stepped down as head coach to spend more time with family.