PREP SOFTBALL: Payton Beith delivers game-winning single for Danville softball

May 22—MT. ZION — Two of the biggest wins in Danville softball history have been games played in Mt. Zion.

Back in 2010, the Lady Vikings defeated Glenwood 3-2 and Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 6-5 to win the school's only softball sectional title.

There must be something magical in the Mt. Zion dirt.

On Tuesday afternoon, catcher Payton Beith laced a game-winning, 2-run single to center to cap a three-run rally for the Vikings as they defeated the Champaign Centennial Chargers 3-2 in an IHSA Class 3A regional semifinal contest.

"That's my second game-winning hit in the last week," said Beith, who also drove home the winning run in a 6-5 triumph over Rantoul last Wednesday. "You just need to go up there thinking you can do this, you got this and you are going to get a hit.

"The biggest thing is to swing at good pitches."

Beith's game-winning hit came on a 1-2 pitch from Centennial's Zoe Goodreau, who had nine strikeouts in the contest, including two of Beith in the first and third innings.

"That pitcher is the toughest pitcher that we faced all year in the conference," said Danville coach Megan Smith. "I actually voted for her as the conference pitcher of the year, because the last time we faced her, she struck out 22.

"I knew it was going to be tough and we prepared all week."

Danville (13-14) had managed just six hits — all singles — and just eight baserunners in the first six frames against Goodreau, but a dropped fly ball in left with 1 out in the seventh seemed to spark a rally.

Jaidyn Hardesty followed with a double to left that scored Kendall Rannebarger and the Chargers two-run lead had been cut to 2-1.

That's when Centennial (5-12) made the unconventional move of intentionally walking Danville's Ka'Leah Bellik — putting the winning run on base with just 1 out in the inning. Bellik was also intentionally walked in the first inning and in the fifth, she blasted a pitch from Goodreau close to 300 feet, but several feet foul.

"Yes, but no," said Beith, about being surprised that Bellik was walked in front of her. "It's kind of disrespectful that they didn't think I could get the hit, but it was also the motivation that I needed."

After a wild pitch moved Hardesty to third and Bellik to second, the Danville coach called timeout.

"I decided that we were going to try the squeeze to get the game tied up, but it didn't work," Smith said.

Beith fouled off the bunt attempt. Smith decided to let her sophomore catcher swing away and she fouled off the next offering from Goodreau.

"I'm not a good bunter — I've never been one," she said. "I just told myself it was okay, I had to shake that off and reset."

Her single up the middle got past the Centennial shortstop Miayah Flemons. Hardesty was going to score easily with the tying run and Smith had no doubts about sending Bellik with the winning run.

"Ka'Leah is my fastest and best baserunner," she said. "When that ball got through the infield, I had to hesitation, I knew she was going to score."

While the top batters in the Danville order produced the game-winning three runs in the seventh, it was two-out singles in the sixth from Gracie Briggs and Olivia Scaggs that allowed the top part of the Vikings lineup to hit in the seventh.

"The bottom part of our lineup has really been coming through for us and I was just confident that they would do that they done recently," said Smith, when asked about Bellik making the final out in the fifth. "It might have been a different outcome without those two hits in the sixth."

The Chargers took a 2-0 lead with single runs in the first and fourth innings against Rannebarger, who struck out six and walked just one. The junior right-hander retired 10 of the final 11 batters she faced on Tuesday.

"That was Kendall's third time pitching against them," said Smith of her only varsity pitching option. "She hit her spots and let her defense work for her. She gave us a chance to win the game."

With the victory, Danville advances to its second regional championship game in the past 13 years. Over that span, the Vikings are 1-12 in regional games, being outscored 135-36.

In the regional championship game, set for 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Danville will play the host and top-seeded Mt. Zion Braves (29-5), who advanced to the title game with 18-0 triumph over Decatur Eisenhower in Tuesday's other regional semifinal.

Class 3A regional semifinal

Danville 3, Champaign Centennial 2

Centennial '100 '100 '0 '— '2 '6 '1

Danville '000 '000 '3 '— '3 '8 '1

WP — Kendall Rannebarger. LP — Zoe Goodreau. Two or more hits — Centennial: Brylie Klaudt 2. Danville: Jaidyn Hardesty 2, Olivia Scaggs 2. 2B — Centennial: Goodreau, Jasmine Shipley, Shyanna Patterson. Danville: Hardesty. RBIs — Centennial: Klaudt, Shipley. Danville: Payton Beith 2, Hardesty 1.

Records — Centennial 5-12 overall. Danville 13-14 overall.