Isabel see ball, Isabel hit ball
Northwestern recruit Cunnea homers twice as defending 4A champ Marist tops LincolnWay East, returns to state
Marist junior Isabel Cunnea didn’t look at any scouting reports before the Class 4A supersectional showdown against LincolnWay East.
“I don’t really like to do it because I don’t want to psych myself out,” Cunnea said. “I just go in there and build my own approach.”
She might have had nightmares if she had seen how Lincoln-Way East ace Danielle Stewart was the runaway star of the Sandburg Sectional.
Instead, Cunnea went to bed Monday night dreaming of sweet swings.
“We all slept with our bats,” Cunnea said. “That was our thing. It was awesome. A little uncomfortable, but awesome.”
The Northwestern recruit — and the rest of the host RedHawks — swung the lumber with a vengeance in an 8-4 victory in Chicago.
The win sends the RedHawks to state with a chance to defend their 2021 championship.
“Oh, man, I’m so excited,” Cunnea said. “This team is so amazing. I’m so thrilled to see what we can do down there. I know it’s going to be great.”
Cunnea hit two home runs and had four RBIs for the RedHawks (30-5-1), who will play Barrington or Warren in a state semifinal at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria at 3 p.m. Friday. Caroline O’Brien, Kait Wright and Wisconsin recruit Emily Bojan also contributed home runs. Senior right-hander Brooke McNichols struck out nine.
Maddy Hickey had two hits, including a two-run double, for East (27-3). Mackenzie Gallagher added two hits, while Stewart struck out six.
Cunnea’s home runs were her ninth and 10th of the season. The first, a three-run launch in the top of the third inning, went off the glove of center fielder Andriana Kilias and over the fence. It put the RedHawks in front 5-1.
“I knew that Sierra Sass was on third base, and she had incredible speed,” Cunnea said. “I was like, ‘Just send it deep and try to get her in.’ But then it kept going deep. And then it went over. That was awesome.”
Before Cunnea’s first homer, O’Brien put Marist in front 2-0 with a two-run shot in the top of the second. The sophomore outfielder was serenaded with her nickname, “Turtle,” after hitting her fifth of the season.
“I’ve had that nickname since I was 8,” O’Brien said, laughing. “When I first started playing, I was a catcher. My equipment was way too big, and I fell off of a bucket.
“I looked like a turtle, and the name stuck. I found a walk-up song, so I just went with it. It felt amazing just to put my team ahead first.”
Hickey keyed a spirited rally by the Griffins. Her two-run double, plus a sacrifice fly by Texas recruit Maddie Pomykalski, drew East within 5-4 after four.
“I expected the game to be tight,” Hickey said. “We know all of those girls. They won state last year. Yeah, they lost pitchers like Abby Dunning and some hitters, but they’re still a good team.
“I didn’t want to be done. After it was 5-1, I wanted it closer. We scored some more, hit some more, to see if we could catch up.”
Cunnea, Bojan and Wright answered for Marist with solo home runs.
The rest of the show belonged to McNichols (22-4).
After allowing four runs over the first four innings, the Florida International recruit retired 10 of the last 11 batters she faced.
RedHawks coach Colleen Phelan made some early visits to the circle. She spoke all the words she needed before the bottom of the fifth.
“I went up to her and said, ‘Brooke, nine outs, that’s it,’” Phelan said. “I told her, ‘You just have to mow ‘em down one at a time.’
“She’s tough as nails. I don’t know if she had her best stuff today, but our team backed her up. We have the best defense and the best hitters around. She just has to keep us in the game. She’s the best pitcher around too.”
McNichols struck out the side in the seventh inning, completing quite a remarkable turnaround.
“I definitely made some changes,” McNichols said. “After the fourth inning, I switched from one pitch that I throw to another one, and it really helped me out a lot.
“And I had such good support from everybody. There were such good vibes out there. Our hitters were on fire. Sleeping with the bats worked out great.”
McNichols? She doesn’t own a bat.
“Oh, I still had my mitt,” she said, smiling. “I got involved, don’t worry.”