“Eight years of a lot of work”: Shamrocks win first sectional championship
By RICHARD TORRES
For The Reporter
NOBLESVILLE – Brian Revercomb couldn’t contain the emotions welling up within him. As the tribulations of the program’s past collided with the jubilation of the present moment, Revercomb stood at a distance, watching on with teary eyes while his Westfield Shamrocks raced over and rejoiced together around the Class 4A Sectional 8 championship trophy at Noblesville’s Miller Park.
From Indiana high school softball afterthought to first-time sectional champions, Revercomb and the Shamrocks achieved what few believed was possible, let alone anyone would have predicted.
The Shamrocks (17-13) made history on Thursday night during the Sectional 8 title game against rival Hamilton Southeastern, winning 1-0, and the feat capped a demonstrative week of unprecedented firsts.
On Monday night, the Shamrocks won their first sectional game in eight years by knocking off rival Carmel, 10-0, in the quarterfinals, followed by an intense, walk-off semifinal win Wednesday against defending sectional champion Noblesville, 4-3 – a team that had dashed Westfield’s postseason hopes in four of the past seven seasons.
On Thursday, the Shamrocks figured it out to become the last team standing in uncharted territory.
“Eight years of a lot of work,” said Revercomb while a tear trickled down his face. “To get to this point, it’s just a ton of work for eight years of a lot of kids and a lot of coaches.”
Westfield’s journey didn’t happen overnight, but the team’s rise seemingly began taking shape last season, beginning with snapping a four-year span without a Hoosier Crossroads Conference win to finish 15-10 overall and 4-3 in the league.
Against 4A No. 12 HSE, the Shamrocks needed to take another step, and behind the unflappable composure of sophomore ace Chloe Tanner and their senior leaders, the program formerly without a sectional title became the new standard.
“If you could think about the bottom of the totem pole, that’s where we started at,” Westfield senior Maggie Roh said. “We hadn’t won a sectional game in eight years, so all of this is very new to us, but we’re taking it one game at a time and just enjoying the ride.”
Tanner (2-for-2), who provided the Shamrocks’ walk-off hit the night prior, supplied the heroics, once more, in the sectional finale, while the defense repeatedly had her back.
Westfield’s Chloe Tanner pitched a complete game and had two hits for the Shamrocks. (Frank Brown)
The sophomore phenom pitched a complete-game shutout, walking two and striking out nine with three hits allowed, but her lead-off double to open the bottom of the third sparked what would become the decisive rally.
Able to connect for a line drive to left-center field off of HSE freshman ace Grace Swedarsky, Tanner’s hit broke up consecutive three-up, three-down frames for the Shamrocks.
Swedarsky, who struck out 14 of the 23 batters she faced, retired the side in order four times in the game and allowed just three hits – two to Tanner.
“In general, I have to play loose, so I go up there with a song in my head (in the third),” Tanner said. “I had to make some adjustments and widen my stance, shorten my swing and I just connected with the ball.”
Before her bat drove the ball deep into the outfield, Tanner let her personality take hold.
“I don’t even remember (the song). I think it was ‘Jessie.’ I was in a (Disney’s) Jessie mood. Like a, ‘Hey, Jessie!,’” Tanner laughed. “Yeah, just random.”
Her seventh double of the season was a direct opening, and two at-bats later, a walk drawn by sophomore Avery Banas set up Roh, who drove in Tanner with a single to left field.
“All last year, (Chloe) bugged me to bat, and I finally said, ‘O.K., you’ll bat this year.’ Because I like to protect my pitchers, but I said, ‘O.K., you’ll bat, and she’s been great this year,” said Revercomb, referring to Tanner’s .297 batting average.
“Maggie has just been clutch. She’s played injury-riddled all season with her shoulder thing, so for her to just bear down and get the job done, and she’s batted about .400 all season; I couldn’t be prouder of her and her effort this year.”
Determination was the key word for the Shamrocks, especially on defense, as they halted a potential top of the first HSE run with a swift double play initiated by third baseman Grace Fanelli. The junior recorded a force out at third before rifling the ball across the diamond to senior Allie Dolenc at first base with two runners on and no outs.
“We knew this was going to be a tight game. We knew we had to come out here and play our absolute best, and Grace Fanelli does what she does best and fielded her position very well,” Roh said.
Nine defensive putouts helped keep six HSE runners stranded, while Tanner retired five straight in one stretch and proved clutch in the top of the sixth.
The Royals (20-8) put two runners on base with one out with a single by Payton Fox and a walk issued to Morgan Hicks, forcing Tanner to protect Westfield’s 1-0 lead.
Hamilton Southeastern catcher Alex Kiemeyer grabs hold of a pitch. (Frank Brown)
A groundout to Dolenc and a swinging strikeout to close the inning inspired Tanner to hop off the diamond in elation, as her teammates raced into the dugout with a sigh of relief.
“Our team chemistry is one like no other. We have each other’s back no matter what. To the end of the season to whenever our chapter ends, we are always there for each other. Good, bad, indifferent,” Roh said.
“Chloe is one of a kind,” Dolenc added. “She’s the best pitcher we could have asked for. She’s awesome. Her spirit is just so unmatched.”
Tanner carried a no-hitter into the top of the fourth, through 12 batters faced, despite one runner reaching with a walk in the first, another on a fielder’s choice in the same frame and a third on an error in the third.
After the sixth, the right-hander shut down the Royals, as Banas hauled in the final out on a ball hit to left field.
“Allowing three runs in sectional, it’s a successful recipe for anybody in the sectional, if you’re going to allow three runs, and that game against Noblesville last night was fantastic,” Revercomb said. “They’re a great team. They’ll be back. HSE, they are going to be so hard to beat next year because they’ll be older and a little bit more mature. It was a great week of softball for us.”
It was more than great, and the Shamrocks have the hardware to finally show it.
“It was just being there for each other through all the years,” Dolenc said. “I feel like I haven’t fully grasped this.”
No Shamrock has, until now.
“It’s crazy to see how much we can accomplish between years, even this year from last year. It’s been amazing,” Dolenc said. “We couldn’t ask for a better team. It’s just fun coming out here and playing no matter what the result is.”
Whatever happens from here, the Shamrocks know they will be there for each other every step of the way, much like junior Cara Snedeker for Tanner before the pitcher delivered a strikeout looking for the second out in the top of the seventh with a 2-2 count.
“She just came up to me and was like, ‘Chloe, you got this. I believe in you.’ It’s so great to have her because she always comes up to me and is like, ‘Chloe, you got this.’ It’s helpful, and I love it,” Tanner said.
“There was so much pressure. Never in a million years would I have accepted that we could do that. That’s crazy to me. That’s so cool, and I’m so proud of us. Just the way that we competed the entire game. The sectional and the entire season. I can’t wait to keep competing.”