To hear senior right-hander Jaelynn Anthony tell it, she has actually enjoyed a refreshing pause this spring by sharing time in the pitching circle for Oswego with sophomore Adalynn Fugitt.
Now, however, it’s go time in the postseason for Anthony. And the Purdue recruit appears primed and more than ready to lead the defending Class 4A state champions back to Peoria.
“There is a little bit of a difference,” Anthony said afterward. “I feel like we all have the same mindset and goal as last year, but it’s obviously step by step to get there.
“I definitely haven’t pitched as much as last year and I’m definitely OK with that. It kind of helps both of us. I like playing other positions and we both like hitting. It helps us 100%.”
Anthony was definitely good to go Friday, firing a three-hit shutout and driving in both runs as Oswego beat conference rival Plainfield East 2-0 in the Yorkville Sectional championship game.
It’s the third straight sectional title for the Panthers (22-11), who advanced to play at 4 p.m. Monday in the NIU Supersectional in DeKalb against Huntley (26-8) or Barrington (35-0).
Fugitt, who plays second base when she’s not pitching, led off Friday’s game with a flare just out of the reach of Plainfield East’s shortstop. It carried about 90 feet but Fugitt legged out a double.
A bunt by freshman third baseman Sophie Morland went for a hit and a walk to senior designated hitter Betsy Jack loaded the bases for Anthony, whose grounder between short and third completed the game’s scoring after just four batters.
“I wasn’t trying to do too much in that at-bat,” Anthony said. “I feel like if we try to do too much, the positive impact doesn’t end up happening. If you keep the moment small, then something big will happen.”
Anthony, the 2025 Beacon-News/Courier-News Softball Player of the Year, struck out seven and walked two Friday, allowing just one ball hit out of the infield.
Sophomore pitcher Jocelyn Cushard escaped further trouble in the first inning for the Bengals and held the Panthers at bay the rest of the way.
“She did a great job,” Anthony said of Cushard. “She’s got it next year.”
Fugitt, meanwhile, kept busy on defense as the first six Plainfield East batters hit the ball her way. She finished the game with five assists and three putouts.
Tired?
“No,” Fugitt said with a laugh. “I am high on adrenaline, I would say. Jaelynn definitely attacks and she throws really hard, so all the stuff that got hit is going to come to the right side.
“I play a lot of shortstop in travel, but I love playing second here because that’s where all the balls go.”
Anthony acknowledged that getting in a rhythm early set the tone for her.
“I’m not asking for a shutout,” Anthony said. “I just try to keep them as low scoring as we can. I’m trusting my teammates and trusting how hard we’ve practiced.”
This is definitely a different team, though, from last season when Oswego averaged 10 runs a game and scored 400 times in 40 games. This season, the Panthers are scoring at a 6.5 clip.
“Everyone knows we didn’t have the best start this year and have a lot of new faces that make up a nearly new lineup compared to last year,” Oswego coach Annie Scaramuzzi said. “We had zero expectations coming into it, but obviously, the standard had been set.”
A win Monday would send Oswego to state a third straight year. The Panthers took third in 2024.
“Jaelynn and Adalynn were able to tag team pitching early on to get us in the position we’re in now,” Scaramuzzi said. “Jaelynn has the time and looseness to be able to go the distance, which has always been the game plan — get Jaelynn the ball at this point of the season.”
