By Dominic Scianna
Softball coach Mike Hinrichs has seen it all in his 15 seasons with Whitney Young. But no player, in his own words, has had more grit and determination during his time with the program than senior pitcher Nyah Allen.
“She’s a flat out gamer and on our Mount Rushmore of players that we’ve had at Whitney Young,” said Hinrichs. “What she’s been able to do on the field, being undersized, has been amazing. Losing Nyah will be tough because she’s been a huge part of our program.”
The Dolphins entered the contest on June 3 as the #3 seed against second-seeded St. Charles North in the IHSA Class 4A Super Sectional Final, and the game lived up to expectations. Both teams struggled to score in the early going before the North Stars pulled away for a 4-0 victory in front of an overflow crowd in St. Charles.
North Stars junior pitcher Paige Murray struck out nine batters in the first four innings to thwart the Dolphins, and Allen pitched out of two jams in the first three innings as the game remained scoreless. But a fateful fourth inning proved to be the difference in St. Charles North’s win.
The bottom of the fourth started harmlessly with a flyout to center fielder Kate Coonan, but then a one-hopper back to the mound hit Allen in the face. She quickly responded by throwing to first base as the umpire called baserunner Skyla Ritter out.
St. Charles coach Tom Poulin appealed the close call at first base and after a short huddle by all three umpires the call was reversed and Ritter was deemed safe. Allen then walked the next batter before a single up the middle by Abby Zawadzki turned into a three-base error that scored all three runners as the ball rolled to the center field fence – and just like that – the North Stars led 3-0.
“I was surprised that the call was reversed because the runner was initially called out,” said Hinrichs. “It was a close play and I went out to appeal the appeal. But, you have to score runs to win and we didn’t do that. Their pitcher (Murray) had a great day and pitched very well but it’s tough that somebody has to lose a game like this.”
Poulin praised Allen for her tenacity as a fiery competitor that they were very concerned about heading into the game, along with Whitney Young’s potent and speedy offensive attack.
“I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night thinking about facing her (Allen) and this team,” admitted Poulin. “And to her credit, we didn’t square up too many balls at the plate, but we were able to manufacture a few runs with a crazy turn of events. That (fourth) inning proved to be the difference in the game.”
Murray was the star of the game striking out 14 of the 23 batters she faced in the game, allowing just one hit, a single by Dolphins sophomore Natalie Nieves in the second inning. St. Charles North (24-6) was also led offensively by Ella Heimbuch and Ritter, who had two hits apiece.
It was an emotional ending to a fantastic season for Whitney Young having amassed a record of 28-12, and winning a Chicago Public League City title, to go with IHSA state Regional and Sectional Championships.
“I’m going to miss all of the seniors,” said Nieves, fighting back tears. “We’re always with each other and spend every day together. They’ve all helped me out so much the past two years.”
Allen, who gave up just two earned runs in seven innings on the day, was so appreciative of her career at Whitney Young and the incredible experiences she had with her teammates.
“I feel that I outdid myself stepping up as a pitcher this year, and had fun helping and leading my team to a successful season. It took a lot for us to get here and this has been twice (playing in the IHSA Class 4A super sectional) in the last three years,” said Allen. “I’m hopeful they can get past here next year.”
Finally, Hinrichs lamented about ending another season and having to say goodbye to five seniors who are great representatives for their school and the CPL, and he’s sure that nothing but more success awaits them on the horizon.
“Before every season my wife always tells me not to fall in love with these kids because they’re going to leave you, but I can’t help it,” said Hinrichs. “I love what I do and I’m very lucky, and the reason why is because I get to work with a great group of kids like this.”
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Photos by Zara Linneman/OSA
