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By Michael Cignoli (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
SPRINGFIELD — The ball departed the bat of Robyn Schad and soared toward the left field fence, carrying with it the dreams of the Purdy Eagles and the community that had never experienced what it was like to win a state softball championship.
There had been several moments like this earlier in the game — one in the inning, even — where the Eagles had crushed balls deep into the outfield only for the ballpark to hold them, giving Holcomb’s outfielders just enough time to prevent them from falling to the grass.
But this one had the unmistakable sound of being different, the crack of a bat that gives a team hope all of its hard work might just pay off. Perhaps this state championship they sought would no longer be a dream, but a memory to remember for the rest of their lives.
And then it fell well beyond the maroon fence 200 feet away from home plate, where at last no Hornet was able to catch it. Purdy had a one-run lead and was only six outs away from history, and the Eagles trusted their superstar pitcher would deliver it to them.
Purdy added two more runs in the sixth inning for a 4-1 lead that eventually became the final score, as the Eagles secured the Class 1 title on Sunday at the KIllian Softball Complex.
It was the first state softball championship for a team that entered the tournament as the top-ranked team in the state and finished the season 30-1, leaving no doubt that it was.
Once Schad connected with the pitch, she also had no doubt in her mind about the outcome.
“I can’t even describe that feeling,” Schad said. “I knew when I hit the ball that it was gone.”
So did her coach, Lori Videmschek, who earlier in the inning told her players that wind conditions didn’t favor a home run. When Lauren Schallert opened the inning with a deep fly ball that landed safely in a Holcomb glove, the coach doubled down on that message.
And then Schad strode to the plate and proved her wrong.
“I knew it was out,” Videmschek said. “I was like ‘Oh, that’s gone. That’s gone. That’s gone. Yeah, I knew that was gone. I thought Lauren’s was close — if she would have been over a little bit more I think she would have got it — but these kids just battled all day. They kept grinding out hits and grinding out hits and that’s what they’ve been doing all year long.”
The Eagles arrived at this point thanks to the arm of Schallert, who concluded her varsity career with a 54-8 record that bordered on the unbelievable — had it not actually occurred.
A day after setting a state semifinal record with 16 strikeouts against Advance, the Cameron University commit added seven more in a complete-game two-hitter and didn’t allow a baserunner after Schad hit the go-ahead home run in the bottom of the fifth inning.
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She added seven more strikeouts as a Holcomb team that had five starters with above-.500 averages put balls in play, but the players behind her made the plays when they needed to.
“It’s not a team,” Schallert said. “It’s a family — and it’s amazing what we’ve done this year. Everyone’s had a part of it and no one has not been helpful in some way this year.”
Freshman Jessi Hoppes tracked down five fly balls in center field, while second baseman Annabelle Bowman collided with her right fielder and still held on for a highlight-reel catch.
“Hoppes did an outstanding job in the outfield running those fly balls down,” Videmschek said. “That’s what she’s been doing all year long as a freshman, but every one of these kids did something really special today to give us a chance to win a state championship.”
Schallert finished the year 26-1 with 283 strikeouts in 144.1 innings — nearly two per frame.
She and fellow senior Kinsley Mattingly were in eighth grade and managed the 2017 Purdy team that lost to Strafford in the state championship game, fueling a desire to one day return.
“I never imagined that it would actually happen,” said Schallert, struggling to find the words for the moment. “It’s just where I wanted to be and it’s where we got. And we won.”
After being named to the all-state team as a sophomore, she is poised for a return this year.
“Last year she just came in and kicked butt every game and she’s just improved,” Bowman said. “I didn’t think she could, but this year she just came out determined to get to where we are right now. That’s just her motive. She’s just motivated to be a better player than she was yesterday. And to be so spot-on in this game, it’s just incredible.”
Incredible could also be used to describe Schad, who injured her hip rounding second base on her home run trot and fell to the ground. She pulled herself up and limped around the basepaths, then remained in the game for the final six outs despite being in obvious pain.
“I have put blood, sweat and tears into this sport,” Schad said, an icepack sitting on her hip. “There was no chance in the world that anyone else was going to take my spot in this game.”
She wound up catching the final out, touching off a celebration months in the making.
“We had talked about it, but it wasn’t real until it happened,” Schad said. “That moment was just so surreal.”
Mattingly, the other manager on the 2017 team, scored the game’s opening run after drawing a leadoff walk in the third inning. Three batters and two outs later, Schad drilled a hard-hit ball that bounced off the shortstop’s glove and allowed Mattingly to score from third.
“It’s just so amazing because no softball team at Purdy has been able to win this game,” Mattingly said. “We’ve gotten here multiple times, but they just couldn’t push through. But all season we’ve wanted to get here and win this game and it just feels amazing. It’s unbelievable that we actually even made it and got here and won. It’s crazy.”
Holcomb (25-5), the District 1 champions from the Bootheel, tied it on an error in the top of the fourth, but Schad restored that lead with her solo home run with two outs in the fifth.
Hoppes doubled to lead off the sixth, then Bowman and Mattingly added RBI singles for a 4-1 lead. Then Schallert retired the Hornets with her fourth 1-2-3 inning of the day to end it.
“Our hitting has been stellar all year long,” Videmschek said. “Those kids have set the tone for us. Coming in, we knew we had a good team. We knew what we knew on the mound. I know Lauren was going to do what Lauren is going to do every year at every game. And I knew defensively we could do it. Our timely hitting, 1 through 9, really stepped up today and did some really timely hitting when we needed to.”
And with those timely hits comes a title that will last a lifetime.
“It’s a different type of feeling knowing that you made history for a school that has never done this before,” Bowman said. “It’s just the best feeling ever.”
