By Noah Poser

A month ago, Young and Taft met in the regular season in a game that saw Young score the first two runs before ultimately succumbing to a heartbreaking walk-off, 3-2 loss.

So when the Dolphins found out they’d get another shot to beat the rival Eagles, this time on the biggest of stages, they knew they wouldn’t miss.

“I knew this was going to happen and that this was going to be the outcome,” pitcher Liani Delgado said. “We just had to come back and try to do better than last time and that’s exactly what we did.”

And as Delgado anticipated, Young (21-10-1) did indeed get the better of Taft (18-11) in the rematch, as the Dolphins once again scored the game’s first two runs, but this time held on to win 2-0 on Monday at UIC’s Flames Field to capture the Varsity Softball CPL Championship.

The catalyst behind the victory for Young was none other than Delgado herself. The sophomore racked up 17 strikeouts in a complete-game shutout that saw her allow just two hits and not a single walk in seven innings.

It’s the type of performance Dolphins coach Mike Hinrichs has come to expect from his young star, whose demeanor never fails to impress him.

“She’s old school,” Hinrichs said. “She’s competitive, she wants to win and she’s never afraid of the moment. She’s just refreshing to watch.”

And Hinrichs wasn’t alone in his praise of Delgado.

“It’s just amazing to watch her out on the mound,” sophomore Priya Vaishnav said. “The way she can go out there and perform over and over again is incredible. It makes me want to go play as hard as I can and have her back because she obviously has ours. It just makes the game more exciting.”

Vaishnav was another of Young’s standout performers, accounting for one of just four Dolphins hits in the ballgame and registered an RBI on a sac bunt in the bottom of the fifth inning to extend the Young lead to 2-0. The first Dolphins’ run came courtesy of an RBI single in the second inning by freshman Claire Swanborn.

Swanborn had two hits in two at-bats, the RBI, as well as a run scored and a stolen base in the win.

Going into the game, Hinrichs said they had “anticipated the game going several different directions” and that the team was “prepared to adapt to whatever was necessary.” 

It wasn’t long before he realized a small ball approach was the key to victory.

“Taft played great defensively,” Hinrichs said. “On my scorecard, I had them stealing at least three hits from us today, so when we saw they were on their toes making plays and that their gloves were ready, we knew if we had an opportunity to move a runner, we were going to small ball it if we had to.”

For Taft, starting pitcher Claire Dennewitz had a quality start of her own, allowing just three hits and walking one batter in six innings of work. She had three strikeouts and allowed one earned run. 

Mia Perez and Victoria Perez each had one hit for the Eagles.

Young gets a week off before playing an away contest at Sandburg Monday.

But before they make that trip, the Dolphins plan to celebrate…although they’re willing to wait until they potentially have a few more titles under their belt to do so.

“Oh we’re gonna party,” Vaishnav said. “I don’t know how yet, but we’re gonna live it up, that’s for sure. 

“Maybe even with a regional plaque and a sectional one too, to go with this one as well.”

Photos by Jim Vincent/OSA