Antioch outlasts Lake Zurich to win NSC title

In three weeks, Olivia Duehr and Megan Mattera are going to be wearing matching uniforms, as they will be teammates on an age-group travel softball team for the summer.

But on Thursday afternoon -- and well into the night, to be honest -- the two marvelous prep pitchers stood toe to toe and went mono-a-mono in as classic a pitcher's duel as you're ever going to see.

For 14 innings, both Antioch's Duehr and Lake Zurich's Mattera fired blanks, before, Antioch broke through in the top of the 15th to secure a 2-0 win in the ninth annual North Suburban Conference Championship Game.

It was the first NSC title for the Sequoits since the league expanded to two divisions for the 2001 season and avenged a 6-5 loss to Lake Zurich in the 2007 Championship Game.

Duehr, the Sequoits' ace in the hole in what is now a 28-2 campaign, was as close to unhittable as a pitcher can get.

In 15 frames, she fanned 20, walked just 1 and allowed 6 hits.

In the two innings (fifth and seventh) when Lake Zurich managed to get two runners on base with one out, she recorded back-to-back strikeouts to kill the rallies.

Then, with runners on second and third and two out in the bottom of the 15th, she got a roller to first base for the championship-deciding out.

Meanwhile, Antioch was getting runners on against Mattera, but not hitting in the clutch.

The Sequoits left 18 runners on base in the game, including a dozen in scoring position.

The breakthrough came in the top of the 15th.

Hannah Vandevoode's one-out single started the rally, and Cat Dinklenburg (2 for 5) reached on a bunt single. Lauren Moore lined a single to center to load the bases, setting the stage for Jessie Liszka. She put down a perfect bunt that Mattera had no play to make, as Vandevoode raced home. Jen Precht then walked to force home the second run.

Duehr then finished off the win.

"I was a little tired," she conceded about Lake Zurich getting two runners on in the 15th. "But I know my teammates are always behind me."

They were behind her all the way, as the sophomore led them to victory lane. PREP SOFTBALL