FULTON - The Triton Trojans softball team achieved a lot this season, but a regional championship wasn't one of them.
Finishing the 2008 season with a team record 16 wins and the school's first sectional championship, the Trojans' year came to an end Saturday in the first round of the Caston Regional, losing 9-2 to the top-ranked Whiting Oilers."We didn't play our best, but we would have had to almost play perfect to beat this team," Triton coach Steve McBride said about the 31-0 Oilers. "There was a lot of pressure on us to go out and not make mistakes. We didn't have a lot of room for error. We got beat by a better team and I can see why they were 30-0."
A major reason for Whiting's unblemished record is junior pitcher Melissa Dumezich, who struck out the first 12 Triton batters she faced.
"She's the best we've faced, and we've faced some good pitchers," McBride said of the Texas A&M-bound Dumezich.
"My hat goes off to them," he added. "They're more than a one-girl team."
While Dumezich's pitches were frustrating the Trojans, her bat wasn't doing much worse. After drawing an intentional walk to open the game, she popped out in a bases loaded situation in the second, but hit a two-RBI triple in a six-run third inning.
Up 9-0 at the end of three, Dumezich pitched two more innings, before giving way to sophomore Sarah Jansky in the fifth. Of the 15 batters Dumezich faced, she struck out 14.
"I thought we were a little tight," McBride said. "Whiting's been here before, and you could tell. It was like another game to them, and it was really big to us."
The game was routine for the Whiting, who's gone 90-4 over the past three years, which includes a state championship in 2006. That record improved to 91-4 later Saturday, as Whiting qualified for the state semifinals, by defeating Lakewood Park 9-0.
While Whiting's grown accustomed to winning sectionals and regional games, Triton's still trying to reach that level.
"It's been a good year for us," McBride said about the 16-13 season. "It's something to build on. I'm going to miss my three seniors, but now we'll go back and start working this summer, trying to get better for next year."
The three seniors are the Triton team were Megan Dean, Jessica Ganshorn and Elizabeth Holderman, all of which have seen the lows at Triton, which began with a two-win freshman year.
"They've been through the tough times," McBride said. "We're gonna miss them. They're good kids and good leaders for us."
