Dowling breaks State home run record, Rose breaks school record
By FRED KRONER
fred@sjodaily.com
Officially, the wait was four days and three games.
On Monday, St. Joseph-Ogden junior Bailey Dowling broke the state career record for softball home runs when she blasted a solo shot to right field in her first at-bat against visiting Charleston.
It was the 61st home run of her prep career.
The state record was broken again a few minutes later.
In her second plate appearance against the Trojans, Dowling slammed a solo home run to left field, extending her all-time record to 62.
For the season, she has an area-best 19 home runs. Next in her sights is the chance to become the first Illinois prep with three consecutive 20-home run seasons.
After Dowling tied the home run record at home on Thursday, coach Larry Sparks said he sensed she felt a little pressure on Saturday to gain sole possession of the mark.
“She’s been pressing for the last month,” Sparks said. “She finally got the monkey off her back.”
Dowling acknowledged that there was some truth to Sparks’ feelings.
“The first game Saturday, I was over-thinking it,” she said. “Tonight, I played and didn’t think about it.”
She was successful in keeping it out of her mind for a short time after her record-setting homer.
“When I was between first and second, I didn’t think about it,” Dowling said, “but as I got to third and saw Coach Sparks, I saw his face. He was all smiles.”
And, so was Dowling.
The 61st home run wasn’t a no-doubter.
“I wasn’t sure,” she said, recalling her reaction as she made contact.
Her follow-up home run had a different feel.
“The second one, I kind of knew,” she said.
The previous record of 60 career home runs was held since 2015 by Lisle Benet’s Stephanie Abello.
Dowling’s big night was tempered by the Spartans losing their regular-season home finale to the Class 3A Trojans, 15-4, in seven innings.
In an effort to get more plate appearances for Dowling, Sparks elevated her to the leadoff position on Saturday. Monday’s game was her third as the team’s first hitter.
Despite Dowling’s home run prowess in the past, it wasn’t a given her production would remain high as a junior.
Sparks estimated that she has received at least a dozen intentional walks this spring, including as many as three in one game. Dowling has demonstrated the ability to hit pitches hard even if they are borderline in the strike zone.
“She swings at pitches most players wouldn’t swing at,” Sparks said. “She has quick hands and I don’t know any player that works as hard as she does.”
With the postseason as well as her entire senior season remaining, Sparks believes Dowling could conclude her prep career with some impressive totals.
“She can put it out there to where it would be a tough one to break,” Sparks said.
SJ-O (20-9) starts Class 2A regional play today at Maroa-Forsyth against Monticello, which opened postseason play on Monday with a 17-7 triumph over Warrensburg-Latham.
Baseball
On the same night that Dowling established a state record in softball, Adam Rose broke a school record on the baseball diamond a few hundred feet away.
Rose went 3-for-3 and swiped a school-record single-game total seven bases as the Spartans overpowered Tri-Valley 11-4.
Rose, who walked once, scored four runs.
His stolen base total places him in a tie for fifth on the all-time IHSA single-game list.
Teammates Adam Frerichs and Crayton Burnett contributed two hits apiece. Burnett scored two runs.
Winning pitcher Drew Coursey and Kaden Jacobs each drove in two runs.
Coursey relieved starter Caleb Johnson after three innings and permitted one run during the last four innings. Coursey walked one and struck out seven.
SJ-O (24-8-2) has a seven-game winning streak and returns to action on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in its Class 2A regional opener against Villa Grove/Heritage at Unity High School, in Tolono.
