Two notable historic accomplishments have happened recently for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School softball team.
First, Bailey Dowling is now the state’s all-time leading home run hitter.
The junior shortstop hit two home runs during SJO’s 15-4 home loss to Charleston on Monday, giving the Alabama commit 62 for her career. The previous record was 60, held by Stephanie Abello when the current Illinois senior played at Benet Academy in Lisle from 2012-15.
The other noteworthy achievement happened this past Saturday when the Spartans won twice at the Alexis Fieldhouse Tournament to reach the 20-win mark, a standard the program has done every year since 1988.
Now, SJO (20-9) will turn its attention to the postseason. The second-seeded Spartans open up Class 2A play at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday when they face No. 6 Monticello in a Maroa-Forsyth Regional semifinal game.
Dowling became the state’s best career home run hitter with a solo home run over the right field fence to give SJO a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first against Charleston. The Trojans responded, though, with five runs in the top of the third to go ahead 5-1 before Dowling hit her second home run of the game to lead off the bottom of the third.
Charleston, however, scored 10 runs during the final three innings to stifle the Spartans. Hannah Dukeman also delivered two RBI on a seventh-inning single, scoring Kennedy Hudson and Jaycee Lewis.
On Saturday, the Spartans started off the eight-team tournament in Alexis with a 10-1 win against Monmouth United before losing 9-5 to Moline in their second game of the day and then defeating West Central 8-5 in their third game.
Dukeman (3 for 3, three RBI), Dowling (2 for 2, three runs scored, RBI) and Lauren Trankina (3 for 3, three runs scored) helped carry SJO to its win against West Central.
Hannah Lewis started and went 3 2/3 innings, giving up five runs on nine hits to go along with two strikeouts and two walks. Zoey Witruk threw 2 1/3 innings of hitless relief, striking out two.
SJO took a 3-1 lead after the first inning and expanded it to 5-1 after two innings. Dowling led off the first with a triple and scored on an RBI single by Dukeman before Kaylee Ward doubled home Dukeman to put SJO up 2-1. An RBI groundout from Katie Poulter pushed SJO’s lead to 3-1 before Dukeman doubled in Trankina and Dowling to make it 5-1 in favor of the Spartans in the second inning.
West Central tied the game at 5 in the top of the fourth, but aggressive base running by Trankina and Dowling put SJO up 7-5 when they both scored on a wild pitch. The Spartans added an insurance run in the fifth on an RBI single by Dowling.
SJO never led in its loss against Moline, falling behind 3-0 by the top of the third inning and trailing 6-1 after four innings.
Dukeman (2 for 4, RBI), Dowling (3 for 4, three runs scored), Savannah Smith (1 for 4, two RBI) and Raegan Crippen (2 for 4) led the way.
The Spartans jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first inning against Monmouth United and extended that advantage to 7-0 after three innings. Witruk paced SJO by throwing five innings and striking out 12 while only allowing one hit and going 2 for 3 with two RBI at the plate, with both her hits resulting in triples. Trankina was also a sparkplug at the plate, going 2 for 2 with four RBI, while Poulter and Smith each drove in a run as Dukeman added three hits.
If SJO wants its season to continue to past Tuesday, the Spartans will need to beat Monticello on Tuesday. SJO owns an 11-1 win in five innings against Monticello when the two Illini Prairie Conference teams met on May 6 in St. Joseph. If SJO knocks off the Sages for the second time this season, the Spartans would play either No. 3 Maroa-Forsyth or No. 5 Argenta-Oreana in the regional championship game at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Maroa-Forsyth and Argenta-Oreana are set to play after SJO-Monticello, with the second regional semifinal game set for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. SJO owns a 9-0 win against Maroa-Forsyth, the team the Spartans defeated last season to win a sectional
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