Softball captures Region 4 title with sweep of COD

The Wolves reign over the Region once more as Joliet Junior College softball won the NJCAA Division III Region 4 Championship at home Friday over rival College of DuPage.

In winning the title, JJC reached 39 wins this season to mark a new program record.

"It feels great just to know that tomorrow we can relax and take it easy," said Wolves coach Mike Bednarz, who was named Region 4 Coach of the Year after the second game. "We don't have to come back out here. That's what everybody's focus was, but beating a team seven times out of seven during the season is really difficult. Our girls did a great job with that, that was a big concern I had is, you know, are they gonna figure us out? And the kids fought through it, they just did a great job. I can't say enough about them."

The Wolves took the first game, 8-3. Karli McMillin (11-4) pitched all seven innings for JJC, allowing four hits and three earned runs while striking out two. 

"As a pitcher, she's given us such stability and the mound," said Bednarz. "She never lets things get out of control. The first game today, she gave up three home runs. It was basically three bad pitches, but she keeps us in the game to the point where our hitters can figure things out."

"My team has my back all the time, so even though I've had a couple bad pitches that they hit, I know that I was able to keep going throughout the game because I knew my defense would be able to back me up the rest of the game to get us that win," McMillin said of her performance in the first game.

Taylor Wells led the offense, going 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and an RBI. Skylar Welcome recorded three RBI's, going 2-for-4 while Paige Borton hit a double.

The Wolves clinched the crown with a 13-3 victory in the second game after five innings. Averi Jury (13-2) pitched the full game, allowing seven hits and two earned runs.

Despite giving up a run in the first, the Wolves took control when D'arcy Ness hit a two-run homer in the second inning to make it 2-1. The Wolves opened things up in the third, scoring nine runs as College of DuPage made numerous pitching changes to slow JJC down. Ness finished the game 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI's.

"Once one figures it out, another one figures it out and another figures it out," said Bednarz. "And we've had games like that this year where in the first couple innings, maybe the first time through the order, we kind of get the picture figured out. Second time around and we start squaring balls up and we get things figured out. Our girls do a good job after they bat of talking to the next hitters coming up, letting them know what they saw so our hitters go up and they're ready to go."

Lea Herkel finished the game going 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI's while Skylar Welcome recorded a hit and two RBI's.

McMillin also did her part offensively in the second game, going 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and two runs. For her performance in the doubleheader and throughout the season, she was named Region 4 Player of the Year. 

"It feels great," she said of the award. "I mean, it helped throughout all of the games to have backup, especially pitching. Like they've helped me keep my numbers low because I've had such great defense."

Following the win, the team celebrated on the field with friends and family, keeping the energy they showed on the field and in the dugout going long after the action ended.

"Oh, my God, it was all pure hype and energy," McMillin said. "We were all just so happy because we were we've been looking forward to this game for so long, and to get that lead so early, it was just so exciting."

With the Wolves winning Friday, they will not return to action until May 8 when they host the winner of Region 13B for the District Championship and a shot at returning to the NJCAA Division III World Series. That will be a three-game series, with the first of two games beginning at noon while the third, if needed, will happen Saturday at noon.