Kendra Carroll races home, Prairie Ridge defeats Antioch to reach state for 1st time

MAPLE PARK – Prairie Ridge‘s Kendra Carroll was prepared for the moment Monday.

That doesn’t mean she wasn’t freaking out on the inside.

Standing on third base as the potential go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning against Antioch, the Wolves senior didn’t hesitate when a 1-2 pitch from freshman Addison Osborne skipped in front of home plate and got past junior catcher Addison Webb.

Carroll saw the ball head toward the backstop, bolted and touched home plate in mid-stride as the Wolves finally broke through after failing to cash in earlier in the biggest high school game of their lives.

Junior Indiana commit Reese Mosolino made quick work of Antioch in the bottom half, striking out senior Taylor Clark for the final out as Prairie Ridge celebrated a 1-0, eight-inning victory in the Class 3A Kaneland Supersectional and its first trip to state.

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Antioch’s Claire Schulyer, left, avoids Prairie Ridge’s Parker Frey at first base in IHSA Class 3A Supersectional softball action at Kaneland High School in Maple Park on Monday, June 9, 2025. (Patrick Kunzer for Shaw Local/Patrick Kunzer for Shaw Local)

The top-seeded Wolves (28-1-1), winners of 15 straight games, advance to play No. 1 Glenwood, a 2-1 winner over Centralia, at 12:30 p.m. Friday in a state semifinal at Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria.

“Lots of excitement, lots of adrenaline,” said Carroll, who was greeted and hugged by senior Ady Kiddy when she reached the dugout. “When [Antioch] called timeout and switched their pitchers, me and [sophomore] Bella Moore were talking. We were like, ‘Oh my gosh, we feel like we’re going to puke right now.’

“We were so amped up. When I saw the passed ball, I was like, ‘Let’s go.’ ”

Prairie Ridge coach Scott Busam put in a pinch-runner for Carroll earlier in the game, but kept his speedy catcher in with the game on the line.

“I said, ‘Everyone’s heart rates are through the moon. You never know,’ ” Busam said. “Kendra doesn’t need much other than that. If she sees an opportunity, she’s a super-aggressive baserunner, and she’s going to take it.

“We could not have had a better situation. There was no way she wasn’t going to score.”

With one out, Carroll reached first on a fielding error when the ball got under the glove of the Sequoits’ second baseman. Moore, a sophomore, and senior Autumn Ledgerwood then had back-to-back singles to load the bases.

Antioch coach Anthony Rocco decided to switch pitchers from Stella Dorhmann (7⅓ IP, 7 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 BB) to Osborne, who was 10 for 10 in save chances. Osborne got a first-pitch popup against sophomore Mary-Kate Center. She then quickly got ahead of sophomore Reese Vrba 1-2 before skipping a pitch in front of home plate, allowing Carroll to score.

Osborne came back and struck out Vrba to get out of the inning.

“It’s a risk you take,” Rocco said. “It’s a lot to put on a freshman, but she’s been outstanding as our closer. She’s a kid that’s a difference-maker for us, and she’s someone we rally behind.”

Prairie Ridge had chances to score earlier in the game against Dohrmann, who stranded a pair of baserunners in each of the first two innings. In the seventh inning, Kiddy hit a hot shot into left field with pinch-runner Kylie Rosene on second base and two outs, but the ball was hit too hard as Busam put up the stop sign.

Dohrmann escaped trouble with a groundout to first base.

Mosolino, who has allowed only two runs in 36 playoff innings with 49 strikeouts and nine walks (four shutouts in five games), allowed one ball to be hit in the air Monday. The only hits for the Sequoits were a second-inning single from Claire Schuyler that hit Mosolino’s leg and a leadoff single from Schuyler in the fifth.

Mosolino struck out two batters in the fifth, and Carroll threw to second base on a strikeout/throw-out double play to retire Schuyler trying to steal.

Mosolino said that she was, understandably, nervous as she went out to close out Monday’s win.

“I was scared,” Mosolino said of the eighth inning. “But I knew if I stayed in my zone where I had been the whole game, they wouldn’t be able to touch me. I knew that we would finish it.”

Mosolino’s teammates weren’t surprised at her quick eighth and game-ending strikeout.

“This is crazy. No PR team has done this before,” Ledgerwood said. “God bless Reese Mosolino. We knew that was a team that could score a ton of runs, and she just shut them down.”

Dohrmann said she was proud of proving people wrong. The Sequoits (24-14) started 0-6 and finished a win from their fourth straight state berth.

“So many people doubted us this year,” Dohrmann said. “Nobody thought we would even win conference or get anywhere near where we are right now. That proves who we are as players. If we work and want it, we’re going to get it.

“We came all this way, and it’s because of our attitudes.”

Kiddy was 2 for 4 for Prairie Ridge, while Parker Frey, Kylie Carroll, Kendra Carroll, Bella Moore, Autumn Ledgerwood and Emma Dallas all had singles.

Busam fought back tears as he watched his staff and players celebrate the Wolves’ biggest win in program history.

“What an amazing accomplishment,” Busam said. “No more, ‘First time since,’ or, ‘Second team in school history.’ They deserve, ‘You’re the first ever to do it,’ and they got it. I’m so proud of them.”

Kiddy predicted Prairie Ridge’s success early on.

“It’s unbelievable, but at the same time, it’s believable,” said Kiddy, an Illinois commit. “At the start of the season, I knew this team was so special. We’ve just had this bond and energy all season.

“I’m so excited to see what we can do.”