Roncalli’s Ann Marie Meek tries to hold back tears after losing to Penn in Saturday’s Class 4A state championship game.
Rob Baker | For the Daily Journal
WEST LAFAYETTE
Keagan Rothrock’s career at Roncalli appeared poised for a storybook ending.
Trailing Penn 1-0 going into the bottom of the seventh inning of Saturday’s Class 4A state softball championship game, Rothrock belted a leadoff home run on a 3-2 pitch to tie it.
“I was almost crying before my at-bat because I knew it was now or never and this could be my last at-bat,” she said. “I was crying coming around the bases. I knew that was my chance and keeping my team in the game and giving us one last chance.”
The Royals went on to load the bases after Rothrock’s solo shot but couldn’t get the go-ahead run. Penn then scored in the top of the ninth en route to a 2-1 victory over the two-time defending state champion Royals at Purdue’s Bittinger Stadium.
“We left eight girls on base,” said Royals coach David Lauck, whose team finished 31-4-1. “We were the better team. I don’t normally say that. I give credit to the team that beat us, Penn, but we were the better team. But we just didn’t get it done.”
Penn’s Ava Zachary led off the ninth with a triple over center fielder Lyla Blackwell’s head.
“With a leadoff triple, the odds are she is probably going to score somehow,” Lauck said. “Keagan does what Keagan does and we got two straight strikeouts. For some reason, we kept climbing the ladder on pitches and one got away from her and (cather Ann Marie Meek), and that was the winning run.”
Aubrey Zachary started for Penn and pitched the first 3 1/3 innings. Olivia Signorino went the final 5 2/3 innings the win.
“Both of them are really good high school pitchers,” Lauck said. “We did have some girls who had some challenging at-bats tonight, and that’s normal when you face good pitching. They’re obviously a well-coached team and a very talented team. We just didn’t get the clutch hits in those two or three innings where we had runners in scoring postions.”
Lauck said he did believe the Royals had the momentum after Rothrock’s homer.
“That was crazy,” Lauck said. “What a moment for her to tie that up in the bottom of the seventh. Your best player ties it and then we load the bases. I thought we were going to end up winning this game. That was a good memory that she obviously will never forget and the fans will never forget. All in all, it’s just disappointing we didn’t win the game.”
Rothrock, who is headed to the University of Florida, struck out 17. She allowed three hits and gave up two walks.
Penn scored an unearned run in the fifth inning after a bobbled throw.
“That’s gut-wrenching,” Lauck said. “It wasn’t a great throw but if she corrals that in, it could be a different game. But that’s the way it goes in close games. The team that doesn’t take care of the ball for every single inning and every single out is going to lose.”
Rothrock had a tough time accepting the loss, repeating twice, “We should have won.”
The Whiteland native is one of eight seniors who won 95 games over three seasons.
“It’s meant the absolute world to me,” Rothrock said of playing for Roncalli. “We have a great community behind us. I wouldn’t trade it for the world, going to any other school and having any other community behind me.”
Senior second baseman Abby Willis, who bats ninth, had two of the Royals’ four hits. Senior shortstop Lauren Marsicek had the other hit.
Senior left fielder Abbey Hofmann, who will play for Marian University next season, was named the Mental Attitude Award winner.
“Even though this wasn’t our goal, we still accomplished so much this season,” Hofmann said of the loss.
