Sherrard's Warner strikes out record 35 straight

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By Steve Batterson | Saturday, May 19, 2007 11:27 PM CDT | () comments

SHERRARD, Ill. — Megan Warner finished the week the way she started it for the Sherrard softball team.

The Tigers pitcher dominated in record-setting fashion Saturday, leading Sherrard to a 7-0 win over Brimfield-Elmwood in an Illinois Class A regional championship.

As part of a 16-strikeout performance, Warner established a new Illinois high school record for consecutive strikeouts.

The junior struck out the first nine batters she faced in the regional final before the Indians’ Kelsey Herridge tapped a ball just beyond the front stripe of the batter’s box to end a string of 35 consecutive strikeouts by Warner.

Dylan Mathis of Roxana held the previous record, striking out 33 straight in 2003 against Vandalia, Greenville and Murphysboro.

Before retiring the Brimfield-Elmwood lineup from top to bottom to open the game, Warner had recorded four strikeouts in Sherrard’s regular-season finale and 22 in a 7-0 regional semifinal victory Wednesday over AlWood-Cambridge.

“It’s an amazing feeling, something that almost seems impossible to do. When you get one, you just try to get the next hitter. It’s something I’m sure I’ll appreciate more in a few years,’’ said Warner, who teamed with catcher Jessica Long to complete the record-setting effort.

Warner, whose bid for a perfect game against AlWood-Cambridge ended when a runner reached on a dropped third strike with two outs in the seventh inning, lost a no-hit opportunity at the same juncture in Saturday’s game.

With two outs in the top of the seventh, Brimfield-Elmwood cleanup hitter Brooke Landau dropped a bloop single between three converging Sherrard defenders at the lip of the outfield grass behind second base.

Warner then coaxed a game-ending groundout to move the Tigers (27-4) into a 7 p.m. sectional semifinal Thursday at Orion against Chillicothe IVC (29-4).

“Getting the win and moving on is the main thing. Really at this point, that’s all that matters,” said Warner, who faced the minimum through six innings before walking Herridge to open the seventh.

Tigers coach Becky Ince said Warner has warmed with the weather.

“The hotter it is, the better she seems to pitch,” Ince said. “She had a great regional and as a team, we came out strong at the plate and took a little of the pressure off of her. This was probably our best total effort of the season.”

Sherrard collected six of its 10 hits during the game’s first two innings and opened a 3-0 lead after a run-scoring single by Jessica Coyne and a two-run double by Warner. The Tigers led 5-0 when Long opened the fifth with a homer, one inning before Ashley Parker drove home a run with her third hit of the game.

Steve Batterson can be contacted at (563) 383-2290 or sbatterson@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at www.qctimes.com.