By Mark Murdock

mmurdock@kpcmedia.com

WATERLOO — An outstanding pitching performance spoiled the first sectional championship game appearance since 2016 for the DeKalb softball team.

Carroll sophomore Emilia Garcia pitched a no-hitter with 14 strikeouts as the Chargers defeated the Barons 6-0 for the title in the Class 4A softball sectional.

Carroll (14-13) earned the right to host a regional game Tuesday, May 30.

“She threw real well,” Carroll coach Cassie Antos said. “She’s been on fire lately. We’ve been overcoming injuries with our pitchers and we wanted to really rest her. She came out and she was ready to go.”

DeKalb (10-20) managed just three baserunners in the game on a walk, a hit batter and an error.

“She did a really nice job placing her pitches,” DeKalb coach Jody Betley said. “We got unlucky a little with the wind, we had some hard hit balls and the wind knocked them down. If those fall or get in the gaps it could have been a different ball game for us.

“I’m not going to take anything away from Garcia. She did a really nice job. She came right at our girls and challenged us.”

DeKalb senior Lillie Cserep retired the first 10 Chargers in the game before designated player Tegan Sites hit a triple to the right-field fence in the fourth. After a walk and a failed bunt attempt, Laney Conner ripped another triple to deep right, giving the Chargers all the runs they would need.

“Lillie was coming back from an injury,” Betley said. “We were hoping to go as long as we could with her. They made some good adjustments to pitches she was making and got a couple nice triples.

“We had to make a move. We hated to do it. I was proud of the way we pitch. Summer (Haverstock) did a great job when she came in.”

Cserep left after the Chargers loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth. Leadoff hitter Jaidyn Fuller delivered a sacrifice fly, and a bases-loaded walk forced in another run.

Carroll added two more in the seventh when Conner was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for her third RBI of the game. London Cupp’s grounder to deep short was stopped by a diving Paige Storck, but her throw to third was late to get a force play.

“Everyone executed what they needed to do,” Antos said. “Everyone did a good job with their roles. We came together as a team and that’s what we’ve been emphasizing all year, unity and intensity.”

Storck also made a running over-the-shoulder catch to take away a hit from Alex Hemsoth in the fifth. Second baseman Rylee Moore ran down a pop-up in foul territory and also made a leaping catch of a line drive to rob Garcia of a hit in the sixth.

“This is the best game we’ve played defensively all year,” Betley said. “We’ve had Paige (Storck) and Rylee (Moore) up the middle making some great plays and our outfielders getting to balls.

“I can’t fault our effort. We didn’t beat ourselves, they beat us. That’s all you can ask for, a good game by both teams. Unfortunately it wasn’t our day.”