After the Hobart Brickies exploded for five runs in the fifth inning to snatch a 5-4 lead, the Portage softball team was left with only six outs to work with in the sectional championship on Saturday in Crown Point.
With Portage potentially facing elimination, Stephanie Upton tripled to drive in the tying run and eventually scored the go-ahead tally as Portage responded to regain the lead, 6-5. From there, senior Heather Zengler, who entered the game in the fifth in relief of sophomore Kiley Jones, sent down six of the next seven to become the winning pitcher and secure the Indians’ first sectional championship since 2009.
“I just try and take deep breaths,” Zengler said. “When I step back behind the mound, I just breathe and focus on what’s happening right then. I can only pitch, I can’t focus on what’s going on behind me, but I know my team has my back.”
Head coach Lisa Hayes, a former Chesterton softball standout, notched her first sectional title as a player or coach in just her second year at the helm.
“This is amazing,” Hayes said. “I never got to do this as a player, and it’s so much better as a coach, it really is. We’ve been trying to make sure we believe in each other and we kept believing today.”
Zengler tossed a one-hitter against Hobart on April 8. She helped limit the damage in the fifth before locking down for the final two frames.
“That’s exactly what we needed,” Hayes said. “We knew she could come in and shut somebody down when we needed her to, and it was perfect. Her and Kiley complement each other so well.”
Catcher Haley Hodges is the only one of the seven seniors on the team that has played varsity softball since her freshman year.
“It’s hard to put it into words,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of heartbreak on this field, but this is a happy feeling right now.”
Sophomore Kaitlin Doud said the underclassmen wanted to win the sectional championship to allow their senior teammates to exit on a high note.
“Being a sophomore and looking up to our seniors, I wanted them to win the sectional,” Doud said. “I did this for them. This is fantastic and we just knew we had to believe and we had to turn things around right then.”
Portage reached the sectional final by upending Duneland Athletic Conference champion Crown Point 3-1 on Friday night, avenging a loss to the Bulldogs in last year’s sectional semifinals. Jones outdueled freshman Miranda Elish, who has already committed to play Division-I softball at Oregon. Elish suffered her first loss of the season to finish 17-1.
Doud doubled twice and drove in Portage’s first run against Elish, her close friend and former travel ball teammate.
“We’re like best friends, but when we step on the field, it’s all business,” Doud said. “We’re as competitive as you can get when it comes to softball. She’s gotten much better since I played with her.”
Junior Alexis Johnson homered against Elish to account for Portage’s third run of the semifinal game.
“I was just mad that I wasn’t getting on base and when I hit it, it felt great,” Johnson said. “My team was there and my adrenaline was rushing and I wanted to cry.”
The Indians host Munster on Tuesday in the regional. Portage blasted the Mustangs 11-1 when the two teams met on May 10.
“It’s just an amazing feeling to be on our home field; the seniors wanted it that way and that’s the way it should be,” Hayes said.
A victory on Tuesday would translate into Portage’s first regional championship since the 2000 team that eventually won the state title. However, for the time being, the Indians will soak up the thrill of being sectional champs.
“I can’t even put it into words,” Zengler said. “I’m speechless. You heard me screaming, that’s all I could really do. It’s awesome.”
The 2013 Sectional Champion Portage Indians
#1 Abby Alexander
#2 Dalton Minor
#3 Rachel Ortiz-Zabloudil
#6 Krystle Allison
#7 Jalise McKnight
#8 Kaitlin Doud
#9 Alexis Johnson
#10 Heather Zengler
#11 Jena Alaniz
#12 Katie Peksenak
#13 Lauren Murray
#14 Kiley Jones
#15 Stephanie Upton
#17 Annabelle Karagias
#18 Taylor Mora
#19 Haley Hodges
#21 Madi Jercha
#22 Sydney Coundiff