Triton Softball wins first Region 4 Championship since 1988

A marathon day was well worth extinguishing a 33-year Region 4 championship drought for the Triton College softball team. The Trojans accomplished the tall task of working their way out of the loser's bracket and win three consecutive games to clinch the NJCAA Region 4 Division II Midwest District A championship May 16 in Freeport. Triton dominated the decisive game in an 18-3 victory over Bryant and Stratton College (WI).

The Trojans (53-8) will advance to the NJCAA Division II softball tournament in Oxford, Ala. May 25-29. Triton enters the tournament ranked No. 11 in the country.

For head coach Christina Christopher, who was named Region 4 Coach of the Year after the victory, the moment was full-circle for her to coach the school she played for to its first regional championship since 1988.

"After competing in this tournament since I was a player from 2009-2011, and now as the head coach, it is a surreal moment," Christopher said.  "We have made it to the double-elimination portion of the tournament before, but could not finish no better than third since I took over in 2016.  Now, we finally did it and I couldn't be more excited and proud of this team."
 
The path to the championship was unlike no other for Triton to win three games in one day.
 
The ace of the staff, Alyssa Stramaglia (Fenwick) tossed the first two eliminations games. The Melrose Park native was impressive in shutting out Sauk Valley Community College as the Trojans won in six innings 8-0.
 
Stramaglia pitched six innings and recorded nine strikeouts.
 
The Trojans broke the game open with a five-run fifth inning capped by a Samanta Nelson (Taft) two-run homer. Kailey Kirkwood (Leyden) ended things the next frame via the run-rule on a RBI single.
 
The win over the Sky Hawks set the stage for Triton to avenge their 10-7 loss to Bryant and Stratton the night before that caused them to fall into the elimination bracket.
 
With Stramaglia back in the circle, Trista Ripp put the Bobcats on the board first with a solo home run in the bottom of the third.
 
Then all the late dramatics began as Peyton Savino (Huntley) hit a two-run home run to center to give the Trojans a 2-1 advantage in the top of the fifth. Triton would add some insurance with a run in the sixth and a pair in the seventh.
 
However, Bryant and Stratton pulled off an improbable rally against Stramaglia who pitched 21 total innings the entire tournament. The Bobcats scored four runs with two-outs in their half of the seventh to force extra innings.
 
Then from that point on, the potent Triton offense who leads the nation in both runs scored and hits woke up and never looked back the rest of the afternoon.
 
The Trojans tallied nine runs in the top of the eighth to account for the 14-5 final, including crushing three home runs in the onslaught. Kirkwood drilled a solo shot. Then Melissa Gonzalez (Guerin College Prep) and Katlyn Cherry (Hebron, Ind.) went back-to-back.
 
Triton carried over the momentum in the winner-take-all game to follow with Bryant and Stratton.
 
The Trojans jumped early and often against Bobcats starting pitcher Jacey Walker. Triton scored five runs in the first inning and four more in the second to take a commanding 9-0 lead.
 
Celeste Boshold's (Elmwood Park) two-run double gave Triton a quick 2-0 edge. Then Geneva Pollman (South Elgin) followed with an RBI triple and then RBI double's by Kirkwood and Alexis Maldonado (Morton) continued a freight train Triton offense that could not be stopped.
 
Gonzalez and Kirkwood played long ball again in the third and fifth innings respectively. But it was Cherry who topped the history making Sunday with a grand slam home run in the fifth inning to make it an insurmountable 18-1 contest in favor of the Trojans. Triton for the game pounded out 18 hits.
 
The cushion was more than enough for Pollman in the circle as she bounced back with a solid showing after having location issues day one of the tournament.
 
Pollman went the distance, allowing one earned run and three hits.
 
The Bobcats (33-18) Alyssa Trensch hit a ground ball to Boshold at shortstop who fired a strike to Kirkwood at first to end years of previous postseason disappointment for Triton. Then ensued a mass celebration over three decades in the making as the water bottles and confetti sprayed the middle of the field.
 
"After we took the loss on Saturday night vs Bryant and Stratton it brought me back to the past scenarios and how the ending went like similar to the long Cubs drought," Christopher said.  "But, when we got back into the van I asked the team, can we win three games tomorrow and without hesitation, they said "Yes coach T, yes we can and we will." This team knew the past experiences at the tournament and wanted to break the curse. I knew if we took game one then we were set for the day. "
 
Cherry, Gonzalez, Nelson and Stramaglia were all named to the Region IV Midwest District A All-Tournament Team.
 
The next challenge for the Trojans is to prepare for what will be a very strong 16-team field at the national tournament.
 
"We accomplished our year goal," said Christopher.  "Now, entering the big stage of the NJCAA national tournament, we have to suit up and compete as we have all season. We will face tougher competition, but under pressure is when this team works well. I am excited to see what we can bring. "
 
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