Calhoun is Back at State: Warriors Meet Goreville in IHSA Class 1A Semis

HARDIN – The Calhoun High girls softball team has made it back to the IHSA Class 1A state finals for the fourth time in the last five season, and will be facing a familiar opponent in its semifinal game on Friday.

The Warriors, who are 30-4 on the season, play against Goreville in the second semifinal at the Eastside Centre in East Peoria in a 12:30 p.m. start. The Warriors lost to the Blackcats 2-0 in nine innings in the 2017 final, and will have to be ready for a speed game Goreville employs.

“Against Goreville, they’re going to bunt, they’re going to slap hit,” said Warrior coach Duane Sievers in a phone interview. “It’s going to be a speed game, and they’re going to try to run on us. We need to be ready for it.”

Calhoun has another great pitcher in junior Sydney Baalman, who’s been their ace all season. Baalman had 14 strikeouts in the super-sectional win over Windsor 1-0, and she made her first inning RBI stand up to get the win.

Lucy Kallal, one of Calhoun’s top hitters all season, singled to open the game, then went to second and third on consecutive passed balls and scored on a Baalman ground out for the only run of the game. The Warriors were helped by very good defense, especially a game-saving back up by shortstop Sophie Lorton on a stolen base in the fifth that kept a Windsor runner at third.

Kallal and Holly Baalman and Lorton have been the Warriors’ top hitters this season and will be counted on to provide offense.

“Holly Baalman has had a good year offensively,” Sievers said, “and they’ve all been our top hitters.”

And while Sydney Baalman will provide great pitching for Calhoun, Goreville will counter with Alexandria King, a senior who defeated the Warriors in the final in 2017.

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“She faced us in the championship game two years ago,” Sievers said of King, “and she may not have as good stuff as Sydney has, but she can locate her pitches very well.”

For the Warriors to win, it’s a very simple formula that has guided the team all season.

“We’ve had good pitching and good defense,” Sievers said. “We’ll need to hit a little better, so we’ll have more scoring opportunities.”

The defense has been spectacular for Calhoun all throughout the postseason, as the Warriors have allowed only one run throughout the tournament series. And Sievers does like his team’s chances of winning another state championship.

“I think so,” Sievers said. “Our pitching has been so good, we’ve had a couple of runs hold up for us.”

Calhoun has reached its preseason goal of getting back to the state finals and is looking forward to the opportunity.

“Our preseason goal was to make it to state,” Sievers said, “and if we win two more games, we’ve reached our ultimate goal.”

A Warriors’ win puts Calhoun in the final on Saturday morning at 11:30 a.m. against either Peru St. Bede or the winner of the Sterling super-sectional between Orangeville and Glasford Illini Bluffs. The third and fourth place playoff game is set for 9 a.m. Saturday morning.

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