By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
EAST KENTWOOD – It all came down to one pitch.
While Niles' Jenna Ignowski and Hudsonville Unity Christian's Kara Dornbos were matching each other pitch-for-pitch, one mistake proved to be the difference as the Lady Vikings edged the Crusaders 1-0 in the Division 2 quarterfinals at East Kentwood High School on Tuesday.
Just when it looked as if neither team would be able to dent the scoreboard, a rise ball that didn't get quite high enough was deposited over the left-center field fence by Niles catcher Maggie Ernsberger in the bottom of the sixth.
Dornbos seemed to have not only Ernsberger's number all day long, but the entire Niles roster.
The Unity Christian hurler allowed just three hits and seemed to have the Lady Vikings off balance and chasing pitches out of the strike zone.
"They had her out all day," Niles coach Gary Collins said of Ernsberger. "She's talented. I'm sure it was a rise ball that didn't get up. It's a killer pitch, but if you don't get it up those are the ones that you can hit."
After Dornbos retired the last Niles hitter in the bottom of the sixth, it was time for Ignowski and company to erase some demons from the 2008 quarterfinals also played at East Kentwood.
Niles came within a pitch of advancing to the Final Four last season, but Wyoming Rogers rallied to defeat the Lady Vikings 7-6 and then went on to win the state championship.
Ignowski was all business on the mound, sending Unity Christian down in order, striking out the side.
Ignowski finished the day with a two-hitter and 16 strikeouts.
The fact that the team was able to seal the deal was not lost on the senior pitcher.
"I can't stop crying," said Ignowski. "It feels amazing to actually move on after losing at this point last year."
Neither team had many chances to score in the contest. Niles had a pair of chances, while the Crusaders had just one runner reach second base and that was in the third inning.
Niles had just five runners reach base against Dornbos. Nellie Coquillard and Brittney Buti both singled, while Coquillard and Ignowski drew walks.
And then there was the blast by Ernsberger.
Unity Christian coach Jodi Deroo said she knew the game would come down to a single run.
"I think this game could have gone a long time if they didn't hit it over the fence," she said. "I hate it when it comes down to one pitch like that."
Niles will be making its first ever trip to the Final Four in Battle Creek.
The No. 10 ranked Lady Vikings (33-5) will be facing Clio (33-10), a 1-0 winner over Petoskey in 21 innings on Tuesday.
Niles and Clio will play at 11 a.m. at the Flannery Softball Complex at Bailey Park in Battle Creek.
"There's nothing like it," Collins said about moving on the semifinals. "It's a relief for me because the expectations for this program when I came here (two years ago) were really unbelievable."
Christian 000 000 0 – 0 2 1
Niles 000 001 x – 1 3 0
WP – Jenna Ignowski (33-5) and Maggie Ernsberger
LP – Kara Dornbos and Whitney Lubbers
HR: Maggie Ernsberger (N)
Varsity records: Unity Christian 25-8, Niles 33-5