Jason Brown/Special to The Gazette
A tearful Samantha Sheeley (9) congratulates Hannah Jones (5) of Humboldt State after Humboldt State defeated Emporia State in the finals of the 2008 NCAA Division II World Series, held May 17 in Houston, Texas.
HOUSTON — Fair, or foul?
Off the bat, April Huddleston was sure it was fair.
As she watched her potential home run sail toward the left-field wall, she barely even noticed when she missed the base at first.
She couldn’t take her eyes off the ball, the hit, Emporia State’s chance at a national championship.
Fair, or foul?
It was the last at-bat of the senior’s career. She hadn’t hit well all tournament.
Jason Brown/Special to The Gazette
Emporia State's Samantha (9) Sheeley winds up during the 11th inning of a 13 inning battle in the semi-finals of the 2008 NCAA Division II World Series. The Hornets defeated St. Edward's 2-1 to advance to the finals.
Huddleston was just 2-for-15 during the World Series. She also hadn’t hit a ball out of the infield against Lizzy Prescott in five at-bats.
That was until this fastball — the hittable pitch from the unhittable pitcher.
On a low, outside fastball, Huddleston leaned over and yanked the ball toward the left-field corner.
Now, only one question was left.
Fair, or foul?
Huddleston wasn’t a home-run hitter. She’d had just two all year and six in her entire Hornet career.
Jason Brown/Special to The Gazette
Emporia State's Jenna Potter (7) is congratulated by teammates after scoring the winning run in a 13-inning battle against St. Edward's in the 2008 NCAA Division II World Series semi-finals. The Hornets won 2-1 to advance to the finals.
This one had the distance. And it was headed straight for the white foul pole.
To the right of it, and Huddleston’s home run would be labeled as the biggest in Emporia State softball history. It would give ESU a one-run lead in the national championship game with one inning to play. It would make the three knee surgeries and the pain and the 6 a.m. workouts worth the struggle.
To the left of it, and ESU remains in a one-run hole, facing a pitcher who hasn’t given up a run in her last 32 innings.
Fair, or foul?
“I thought it was fair the whole time,” Huddleston said.
“I thought it was out, and I was hoping it was out,” ESU coach Kristi Bredbenner said. “Then I kind of saw it curving a little bit.”
The ball twisted above the foul pole, and finally the silence by the hundreds in attendance was broken with two words.
“Foul ball.”
Jason Brown/Special to The Gazette
Emporia State's April Huddleston (24) gets a hug following a tough loss to Humboldt State in the finals of the 2008 NCAA Division II World Series, held May 17 in Houston, Texas.
It wasn’t over, but really it was for the Hornets.
Three pitches later, Huddleston swung through a riseball for the final out of the sixth. One inning later, Prescott struck out her 10th batter to give Humboldt State a 1-0 victory and also the national championship.
Afterwards, Huddleston hugged her mother on the field, refusing to let her go even after a couple minutes had passed.
Huddleston’s career was over. And the tears would have been so much different had the ball just gone a hair to the right.
“We’re literally 15 inches,” Bredbenner said, “from winning that game.”
As it was, ESU’s compelling journey through the World Series came up one win short, as the Hornets survived three consecutive elimination games to put themselves in the final.
Once there, the Hornets were beaten by one swing and one dominant pitcher.
After throwing 12 innings and 196 pitches in a game just two hours earlier, ESU ace Samantha Sheeley once again took the ball for her team in the biggest game of the year.
“I had to give it all I had,” Sheeley said. “There was nothing else I could do.”
Though she didn’t have her normal velocity, Sheeley stuck it out for the Hornets despite battling a persistent back problem.
Her only blemish came in the first.
After getting the first two outs, Sheeley tried to throw a 2-1 riseball above the hands of Humboldt’s best hitter, Natalie Galletly.
It didn’t end up sailing high enough. Galletly drove the waist-high pitch just over the fence in left field for a 1-0 Lumberjack lead.
Sheeley still gave ESU every chance to come back.
The senior battled through all seven innings, giving up just four hits and the one run. She had just two strikeouts but was able to get 12 HSU hitters on flyouts.
“She was just pitching on will and passion,” Bredbenner said. “Maybe she wasn’t throwing as hard as she normally does, but she did everything she could.
“ ... It was a completely gutsy performance.”
A few inches also cost ESU a run in the third.
With two outs, Jessie Wiard laid down a bunt, and HSU third baseman Francesca West threw it away to move Wiard to second.
Angela Mahan followed with a blooper to center, but Chrissy Motzny charged in to make a diving catch to save a run.
The Hornets’ only other real threat came in the fifth, when Abby Smith and Aubree Brattin hit consecutive one-out singles to left.
Jenna Potter followed with a popup to the pitcher, then Wiard struck out to end the inning.
Brattin added a two-out hit in the seventh, but Potter struck out on a riseball — the pitch that had carried Prescott throughout the tournament — to end the game.
“We came out here and gave it what we could,” Huddleston said. “It just wasn’t good enough.”
ESU still had plenty to be proud of after starting its season 3-7.
The Hornets (48-17) won the MIAA regular-season championship, MIAA tournament championship, North Central Regional championship and also advanced to their second national championship game in the last three years.
“When you compare this team to that team that started off at the beginning of the year, we’re 10,000 times better,” Bredbenner said. “To make it as far as we did, you have to be proud of yourselves.
“It’s going to hurt a little bit, but when you look back, this is once-in-a-lifetime for a lot of teams.”
Brattin led ESU with her 2-for-3 performance. ESU outhit HSU, 5-4.
Sheeley, Brattin and Miranda Campbell all were named to the All-Tournament team.
Prescott was named the Most Outstanding Player, going 4-0 in four games. She struck out 52 batters, walked none and had a 0.17 earned-run average.
The right-hander allowed just one run in 41 innings.
She was a few inches, though, from giving up two more.
“It hurts just as bad knowing that you’re that close,” Huddleston said. “And one run makes it even worse.”
NCAA Championship Game
Saturday at Houston
Humboldt State 1, Emporia State 0
HSU 100 000 0 — 1 4 1
ESU 000 000 0 — 0 5 0
W — Prescott. L — Sheeley.
E — HSU: West. LOB — HSU 4, ESU 6. 2B — HSU: Warren. HR — HSU: Galletly.
Time — 1:33. Att — 623.
Records — HSU 57-18, ESU 48-17.
ESU 2, St. Edward’s 1,
13 innings
The mis-hit was perfect.
With the game-winning run at third with one out in the bottom of the 13th, Angela Mahan knew a hard-hit groundball at an infielder wasn’t going to help her team.
Her slow dribbler, however, ended up being Emporia State’s ticket to the national championship game.
Mahan’s jam-shot roller to second scored Jenna Potter from third, and the Hornets advanced to the NCAA’s final game with a 2-1, 13-inning victory over St. Edward’s.
“There’s not a better feeling. We’re in the national championship,” Mahan said after the game. “A lot of people never thought we’d be here. It’s just awesome.”
Emporia’s own Jenna Potter helped end the marathon game in the 13th.
Potter picked on Diana Cezeaux’s first pitch, lining it deep to right field.
“I knew I hit it hard,” Potter said. “I was just hoping I didn’t hit it right at her.”
Potter ended up getting enough of the ball, as it sailed over right fielder Lisa Paul’s head for a ground-rule double.
Jessie Wiard followed with a sacrifice bunt to move Potter over and bring up Mahan.
With the infield in, ESU coach Kristi Bredbenner told Potter not to try to score on a grounder unless it was hit softly.
Potter never hesitated on Mahan’s roller, breaking immediately for the plate before sliding in headfirst to beat the throw home.
“You always think a solid hit’s going to win the ballgame for you,” Bredbenner said, “but that was exactly what we needed.”
Potter leaped into the air after scoring the run, and the Hornets joined in a celebration of hugs at home plate.
“If you could have asked a lot of people in the first two weeks of our season if we were going to be here, nobody would have said yeah. Everybody would have said, ‘No way.’” Potter said. “We’ve come a long way. Everybody’s worked so hard, and I’m so proud of everybody.”
ESU took its lead in the bottom of the first.
After a bunt single from Wiard and a sacrifice by Mahan, Jennifer Dace and Miranda Campbell contributed back-to-back singles to score Wiard.
The Hornets came within one strike of ending the game in seven innings before some heroics from Stacy Giles.
With two outs in the seventh and a 1-2 count, the eight-hole hitter drove a home run over the wall in left to tie the score at 1.
It was just her fourth home run of the season.
ESU pitcher Samantha Sheeley threw 12 innings, giving up just the one run on seven hits while striking out 10. She threw a total of 196 pitches.
Megan Dennis picked up the win, coming in for her first action of the postseason in the 13th.
The junior needed just four pitches to retire St. Edward’s 1-2-3.
Mahan’s mis-hit followed in the bottom of the 13th.
“I wanted to hit it a little harder, but I’ll take it,” Mahan said. “It happened to work out. It wasn’t a solid hit, but it was what we needed, I guess.”
NCAA Semifinals
Saturday at Houston
Emporia State 2, St. Edward’s 1
St. Edward’s 000 000 100 000 0 — 1 7 1
ESU 100 000 000 000 1 — 2 9 0
W — Me. Dennis. L — Cezeaux.
E — St. Edward’s: Giles. DP — St. Edwards 1. LOB — St. Edward’s 11, ESU 7. 2B — St. Edward’s: Phillips, Varteressian, Giles; ESU: Potter 2. HR — St. Edward’s: Giles. HBP — St. Edward’s: Paul 2, Varteressian 2. SH — St. Edward’s: Phillips, Lavender 2; ESU: Wiard 2, Mahan 2, Potter. SB — St. Edward’s: Stephens; ESU: Bergley.
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