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STEVE LEEOnce again, the Knights are denied a title, this time in a 15-inning heartbreaker.
TAMPA - Nothing has come easy for River Ridge in three consecutive trips to state. Not winning. Not losing. The Royal Knights had to win a semifinal in extra innings two years ago, and the past two state title games went down to the last play at the plate in the last inning.
But Thursday night's semifinal was the toughest loss of all.
River Ridge fell 3-2 in a 15-inning thriller to Naples at the Ed Radice Sports Complex.
"I really don't think it should have gone to extra innings," River Ridge coach Ernie Beck said. "We just didn't execute."
Naples' Jessica Gary led of the top of the 15th with a single, was sacrificed to second and scored the winner on Kara Wiegle's ground-rule double.
It was the second time that the Royal Knights (26-3), ranked seventh in 5A, faced a deficit. But there was no coming back from this one, as River Ridge went down in order in the bottom of the inning against No. 2 Naples.
It was a pitchers' duel until extra innings. Heading out to the third base coach's box to start the bottom of the 12th, River Ridge coach Ernie Beck said, "That's what it's all about."
Then Beck asked a fan, "Bet you thought we were going home, didn't you?"
That alluded to the 11th, when the teams matched runs.
Naples (29-2) struck first with two runs in the top of the 11th. Cheyenne Jenks reached when catcher Danielle Denney dropped a popup in fair territory. Kara Weigle followed with a one-out triple over the head of rightfielder Christina Karl. The ball rolled to the fence as Jenks scored. Weigle raced home on Jessica Woodring's sacrifice bunt.
Trailing 2-0, Jillian Ryan and Stephanie Seaman drew walks in the bottom half off Naples reliever Heidi Schumacher. Schumacher's sister Ingrid, who pitched six innings and departed after the Knights loaded the bases with none out in the seventh, threw out Meghan Chaple on a sacrifice bunt as the runners advanced.
Ryan scored on Janet Houck's infield single and Seaman raced home on Kiki Von Holt's sacrifice fly to left.
Von Holt (22-2), who has pitched every inning for her team in state series, allowed five hits, struck out 12, walked four and hit a batter through 14 innings.
Before extra innings, the Knights wasted a chance to win in the bottom of the seventh. Janet Houck led off that inning with River Ridge's first hit of the game. Von Holt walked and Deanna Kiesel singled to load the bases.
That scoring chance went awry when Michelle Miller was called out for being hit by her own bunt out of the batter's box, and Denney and Shauna Ward struck out.