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LAPORTE--Just a few weeks ago, 14 inches of snow covered Sullivan County’s softball field. Simultaneously, the Griffins were buried under the weight of a 1-6 start and playoffs seemed like a long shot at best.
So, the Griffins broke out the shovels. They cleared off the snow, then came climbing out of that hole they had dug. And, oh, the heights they have scaled.
No wonder pitcher Lorena Marquardt was shedding happy tears following Thursday’s games.
Marquardt delivered a fabulous performance, Chloe Burke scored seven runs and Sullivan County swept a double header from St. John Neumann Thursday afternoon, winning 11-1 in five innings and 10-9 in eight innings. Now what once seemed so far-fetched is reality.
Sullivan County is playoff-bound.
The Griffins completed a tremendous comeback, winning eight of their last nine regular-season games, closing at 9-7 and reaching districts for just the third time during the 2000s.
"It feels really good," said Burke, one of the team’s four senior leaders. "It’s definitely rewarding and a lot of hard work paying off."
"It (playoffs) was still possible," Sullivan coach Brian Heisman said. "It was always in our sights. We just never lost track of it."
The Griffins never lost hope, never stopped working and clinched the program’s second playoff berth since 2018 when they took the opening game in convincing fashion. Maybe it was fitting the second game played out the way it did, as Sullivan fought back from four down four in the fourth inning and two in the seventh to win in thrilling style.
A regular season defined by an amazing comeback concluded with the Griffins storming back and scoring four runs in their final four at-bats. Marquardt then stranded the tying run on third in the bottom of the 10th, capping a brilliant effort which featured her striking out 23 batters in 13 innings.
"It means a lot. I’ve been playing softball my whole life with these girls so it’s a great feeling," Marquardt said after fanning 13 in the second game. "It’s a happy ending."
But only an ending to the regular season. Now the postseason awaits and Sullivan will be seeded No. 7, playing at the No. 2 seed, yet to be determined, sometime next week in the Class A quarterfinals.
"We didn’t let our record get ourselves down. We just kept working," Burke said. "We definitely got more confident in ourselves and the ability we have as a team."
As has been the case throughout the season’s second half, all the Griffins took turns showcasing their abilities. Sullivan scored 11 straight runs in the first game, winning it and sealing the playoff berth when senior Carly Rupert (2 for 4, 2 RBIs) hit a walk-off single. Marquardt struck out 10 in five innings and Sullivan backed her by playing error-less defense.
Neumann, however, came storming back in the second game. The Knights (6-12) also are one of the area’s most improved teams and have won five more games than a season ago despite being one of District 4’s youngest teams. Neumann built a 5-1 lead after three innings and scored twice in the sixth inning after the Griffins twice had come back to tie the game.
Lizzie Weller put on an offensive show which would make Babe Ruth smile, going 4 for 4 with two home runs, four RBIs and three runs. So feared was Weller by the eighth inning that Sullivan elected to walk her open the inning, thus bringing the tying run to the plate with no outs. Gigi Parlante (3 for 5, three runs) and Lily Reid (2 for 5, two RBIs) also had strong games and Reid’s RBI grounder made it a one-run game in the bottom of the eighth.
One last time, however, Marquardt delivered in a big spot. She spent much of the game showcasing her talent, but as the day wore on and the sun started setting, this performance became all about her toughness. And on her 228th pitch, Marquardt, produced the game-ending strikeout as Sullivan celebrated along the third-base line.
Talk about a great senior moment.
"I was nervous but I knew we could do it," Marquardt said. "We’ve played together for so long, so I knew we could pull through."
Marquardt not only pitched well, but defied logic. As her pitch count soared, she only grew stronger. Marquardt produced six strikeouts over the final three innings and struck out the side in order in the seventh inning.
A player who struck out just one batter during her debut pitching season has over 100 this year. Like her teammates, she has traveled quite an upward journey.
"She has pitched phenomenal this season. She’s very comparable to Madison Burke who helped us go to states (in 2018)," Heisman said. "She worked hard off season and in the season and it’s paid off for her."
Neumann forced Sullivan into having to work hard throughout the second game. Weller’s first-inning, two-run home run into the wind and over the center-field fence quickly put Neumann ahead 2-1 and her second home run, this one to right-center, made it 7-6 in the sixth inning. Parlante followed with a single, stole second and scored on Reid’s two-out, two-strike single.
Sullivan could have been content knowing it already had secured its playoff spot earlier in the day. But that is not how this team operates and it rallied in the seventh to force extra innings with Burke stealing three bases to make it 8-7 and Marquardt hitting an RBI grounder to tie it. Parlante came up big and produced a strikeout to leave runners on second and third but the Griffins went back to work in the eighth.
After Kayla Fowler hit a lead-off single, Burke delivered again and scorched an RBI triple into deep center field. Brianna Bottiglieri followed with an RBI single and Sullivan had yet another pleasant memory to go with what has become a memorable season.
"It’s very cool. I’m proud of them," Heisman said. "They gave everything they had. They pulled through and it’s a great thing."
First Game
Sullivan County 11, St. John Neumann 1, 5 innings
Neumann 100 00--1 3 2
Sullivan 202 25--11 6 0
Lizzie Weller, Gigi Parlante (5) and Parlante, Weller (5). Lorena Marquardt and Mallory Dickinson. W--Marquardt. L--Weller.
Top Neumann hitters: Parlante 1-3, 3B, RBI; Ella Ballard 1-3, 2 SB; Niyah Tutler 1-2, SB. Top Sullivan hitters: Ava Dunham 2-3, 3R, 3 SB; Chloe Burke 4R, 2 SB; Brianna Bottiglieri 1-2, 2 RBIs, R; Carly Rupert 2-4, 2 RBIs, R; Kayla Fowler 1-3, RBI.
Second Game
Sullivan County 10, St. John Neumann 9, 8 innings
Sullivan 100 410 22--10 7 3
Neumann 203 102 01--9 12 5
Marquardt and Fowler, Burke (7). Weller, Parlante (5) and Parlante, Lily Reid (5). W--Marquardt. L--Parlante.
Top Sullivan hitters: Burke 2-4, 3B, 2 RBIs, 3R, 5 SB; Fowler 1-2, 2R; Bottiglieri 1-4, RBI. Top Neumann hitters: Weller 4-4, 2 HR; 4 RBIs, 3R; Parlante 3-5, RBI, 3R, 2 SB; Reid 2-5, 2 RBIs; Ballard 1-3; Adelyn Dawes 1-4, R.
Records: Sullivan County 9-7. Neumann 6-12.