GREENWOOD — There is no good way to bid farewell to a softball season, especially one filled with magical moments and capped by the program’s deepest postseason run in a decade.
On Saturday, it’s what members of the Columbus North team had to do following a 4-0 loss to Class 4A No. 2 Roncalli in a semifinal at the Center Grove Semistate.
Unable to draw a bead on the pitching of Royals’ sophomore right-hander Keagan Rothrock, she of the 72 miles-per-hour fastball, the Bull Dogs close with a 25-5 record, a school record for wins in a season.
Rothrock surrendered two hits — infield singles by sophomore leadoff hitter Josie Lemmons — while issuing no walks and striking out 15.
“Hopefully, we can learn from this and get better … you can’t duplicate somebody throwing 70,” North coach Ron McDonald said.
“We got the (pitching) machine up to 70, but it’s not the same. She’s amazing. She’s probably better than most of the college pitchers.”
Roncalli scored two runs in the bottom of the third inning and two in the fourth to give Rothrock all the offensive backing needed for the Royals to advance to the championship game against Mt. Vernon.
North’s best opportunity against Rothrock was in the top of the first after Lemmons reached base. She stole second and third, but with one out, Maddi Rutan’s bunt attempt resulted in a pop-out to Rothrock, who threw Lemmons out before she could return to third.
“It’s funny that I dreamed about that play the last couple of weeks and what we were going to do if she got on in the first inning,” McDonald said. “We were going to get the bunt down, but we had a little pop-up, and that happens.”
Roncalli with three consecutive singles looked as if it would blow the game open in the fifth, but the Bull Dogs, led by junior third baseman Lexi Heafner, proved resilient defensively.
“I take a lot of pride in my defense,” Heafner said. “I know that me and Maddi are usually over there, and me and Kaylee (Cowan). I know that that side of the field we have locked down.”
Rutan pitched four innings for the Bull Dogs, giving up four hits, walking one and striking out two. She was relieved by Meghan Waggoner in the bottom of the fifth.
Waggoner is one of only two seniors on the North roster, the other being outfielder Aden Voss.
As special as this season was, it could prove to be the ground floor of the next couple of springtimes and the possibility of playing even later in June.
“We had played so well for the last 20 games,” McDonald said. “We’ll take this, and I mentioned over there in the huddle what my principal told me, that for you to make a run, you’re going to have to make a deep run and then next year is when you usually tie up the loose ends.
“I think (a semistate rematch with Roncalli) is very possible, and hopefully, we can learn from this and get better.”
Heafner, for one, can’t wait to get started.
“All of our starters are still going to be here next year,” she said. “I think that we have a very good group of girls who are going to come out, and we’re going to have the same exact outcome, if not better.”
