CAMP POINT, Il. — Senior Jade Peebles had one thing on her mind in her final at bat “Just get on base,” and her approach paid off. Peebles lifted a pitch over the left field wall for her first homerun of the season, and a walk off win in the Regional Final.
Pleasant Hill’s offense was explosive on Saturday morning, defeating Camp Point Central 15-0 for the Class 1A Regional Title. The Lady Wolves scattered 15 hits across four innings, receiving contributions from every part of the lineup.
“That’s huge. I have been a little disappointed with our hitting this season, it seems like we have flashes of kids getting hot and then going cold. Hopefully this continues, one through nine we were putting the ball in play,” said Lady Wolves Head Coach Ryan Lowe.
Camp Point Central sent two pitchers to the rubber, mixing speeds in an attempt to throw off Pleasant Hill’s timing. The Lady Wolves made the necessary adjustments, taking advantage of extra base opportunities.
Pleasant Hill’s offensive clinic on Saturday morning showcased two moonshots: a three-run blast from Makenna Winchell in the third inning and the walkoff solo shot from Peebles in the fourth inning.
“We came out hitting well today, a lot of us have been in slumps. It was a great day to come out on a big stage and smoke the ball,” said Winchell.
Peebles went 4-for-4 at the plate, driving in four runs, and finished just a triple shy of the cycle.
“I am so excited, I think our bats are so hot right now. If we can keep it up and back up McKinley on defense, I think we have a good shot at going to the Sectional Championship,” Peebles said through a grin.
Pleasant Hill prides themselves on pitching and defense, a formula that has led to many quality wins over the years. Senior ace McKinley Lowe tossed four scoreless innings leading her team to back-to-back regional title wins. Lowe allowed just two hits and racked up nine strikeouts in the victory.
The Lady Wolves will now travel to Glasford to take on Havana on Wednesday afternoon in the Sectional Semifinals.