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‘It hasn’t sunk in’: La Salle-Peru softball tops Sycamore for first regional title since 2013 · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: It hasn't sunk in. La sal Peru Softball top's Sycamore
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  for first regional title since twenty thirteen. Written by Kevin Schlum.
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  This article is being read by an automated voice brought
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  to you by Everlett. La Salperu catcher Mackenzie Chamberlain caught
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  the pitch. The umpire's right arm shot up, and Chamberlain
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  leaped up with her arms in the air before jogging
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  out to wrap pitcher Taylor Vesconi in a big hug.
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  The infield rushed in and the Cavaliers poured out of
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  the dugout. LP coach Randy Hoby was emotional as he
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  took in a scene thirteen years in the making. Vescagni's
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  twelfth strikeout capped off number four seeded LP's three zero
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  upset over number one Sycamore in the Class three A
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  Sterling Regional Championship Friday, giving the Calves their first regional
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  title since twenty thirteen. It hasn't sunk in yet, Kobe said,
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  after winning his first regional plaque since taking over as
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  LP's head coach in twenty seventeen. On that last out,
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  I actually had tears in my eyes. The Calves have
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  been knocking on the door for years, losing in regional
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  finals the last six years, with four of those losses
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  coming by two runs or less. It's so incredible after
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  being on the field in a regional championship for the
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  last three years, Vescagni said, it's so relieving to finally
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  get the win. The regional title comes at the end
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  of an up and down season for the Calves, who
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  started one to six, went four to six in Interstate
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  eight conference play, and had a late four game losing
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  streak before winning seven of their last nine to end
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  the regular season. We had a really good run last year,
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  but we couldn't come up with a regional title, Fasconi said.
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  This year, we didn't have the best start, but I
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  feel like that kind of motivated US coach Huabe always
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  says the regular season doesn't matter. What matters is the postseason.
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  We started getting it all together at the end of
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  the regular season. We started simplifying our swings, made a
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  couple changes on defense, and I feel like it finally
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  clicked this game. Sycamore ends the season twenty four to six.
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  The Spartans, who won the Interstate eight with a nine
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  to one record, had a string of three consecutive regional
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  titles snapped. Anything can happen in the postseason. Sycamore coach
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  Jill Carpenter said, if we're going to go down, I
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  want it to be to a conference foe. They played
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  well and they deserved it with the year we had.
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  It's a tough way to end. We played pretty clean defensively.
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  Bella Jacobs kept us in the game. We just have
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  to do more on offense. I'm sad for my group,
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  but it was a great year. I'm not just going
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  to focus on the end. That would be a disservice
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  to them and the year they put together. They won
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  one of the toughest conferences in the state. We beat
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  a bunch of really solid top twenty programs, We beat
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  a ton of DI pitchers. The schedule was stacked and
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  they rose to every challenge on top of it ending
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  a long regional drought. Friday's win sends the Cavaliers twenty
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  two to fourteen, back home for the lasal Peru Sectional,
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  where they will play East Peoria at six pm Tuesday
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  at the LP Sports Complex. East Peoria advanced with a
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  four to three win over Metamora in the Streeter Regional Final.
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  It's so great, especially for our seniors, Vescagni said. We
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  have a couple of us who have played on varsity
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  all four years, so to play at home and hopefully
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  go to state after that, and to have our community
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  there to support us is going to be so good.
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  Vescgni played a key role in sending LP home, as
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  she struck out the first eight Sycamore batter she faced.
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  Allowed just one infield single on a short, low pop
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  up by number nine hitter Leah Harbeck that landed between
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  Chamberlain and Vescagni and did not walk anyone on the
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  way here. I was so nervous, Vescagni said, Honestly, I
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  feel like I pitched my best when I'm nervous. I
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  came out really hot. My body was super fast and
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  that helps my spin. To have those strikeouts at the
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  beginning of the game and starting off on a good note,
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  I feel like that really gave me confidence. LP's ace
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  also came in with a solid game plan against a
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  familiar opponent. I had a pitching lesson Thursday, and we
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  went through our game plan about what we were going
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  to throw to, what hitters where to throw the rise
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  ball and to kind of jam them a little bit,
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  Veskani said. The Calves gave Veskanyi early run support with
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  two runs in the second inning. Chamberlain led off with
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  a walk and Veskani ripped a double to the left
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  field fence to put runners on second and third with
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  one out. With two outs, Number nine hitter Atti Picha
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  delivered a two run single to right center field. That
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  felt really great. Pisia said, I set a goal for
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  myself and I made it happen. We worked really hard
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  in practice and we really focused on the pitcher and
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  how she threw. Picha came through again. In the seventh
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  with a runner on first and one out, Pecha hit
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  a double into the left center field gap to give
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  the Calves an insurance run. We brought her up halfway
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  through the season and she's not stopped hitting. Kobe said,
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  she hits it so well. The ball comes off her
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  bat really well. I'm proud of her.