SEBEWAING, MI – It was three outs in three seconds.
The bang-bang-bang play of a lifetime.
Folks from this rural, Thumb-area community thought they had seen it all from their six-time state champion Unionville-Sebewaing Area softball program. But they had never seen a thing like a title-clinching triple play.
On the one-year anniversary of USA’s 3-1 win over Kalamazoo Christian in the Division 4 state final on June 15, 2019, they are still shaking their heads, still grinning in disbelief and still getting chills at the thought of the most improbable conclusion in state championship history.
“I told the girls, ‘Wherever life takes you, you can always come back and look at that state championship banner, and you’ll think about that moment and be flooded with emotion -- and you’ll have a big smile on your face.’
“That’s what sports do. It’s why they’re so great. They create lifelong memories that you’ll never, ever forget. That’s what they did for the 2019 USA Patriots.”
After a 2020 season that never happened – wiped from the calendar due to the coronavirus threat – the Patriots who never got a chance to defend their state title are taking a bit of solace from the fact that their last game together remains a historic one.
And it came with a hashtag of #ESPNTop10.
The Patriots came into the Division 4 final at Michigan State University’s Secchia Stadium hungry for the crown. In a program that owns six state titles and 13 trips to the final four in the past 14 seasons, only the spectacular will do. After losing in the state quarterfinal in 2017 and state semifinal in 2018, this group was ready for its spectacular moment.
USA seemed to be steaming toward its ultimate goal, with ace pitcher Brynn Polega mowing down batters to the tune of 15 strikeouts and all-state shortstop Rylee Zimmer ripping three hits. But the complexion changed entirely in the final inning when Kalamazoo Christian mounted an uprising.
Clare Dirksen knocked a leadoff single and Nyla deJong dropped a perfect bunt for a single that suddenly put runners on first and second and brought the potential game-winning run to the plate with no outs.
“It started getting a little tense,” USA catcher Maci Montgomery said. “I was praying ‘Please let something happen so we don’t lose this game.’”
Up to the plate stepped Sammy Gano, who had two home runs and 11 doubles on the season and was the lone batter in the Kalamazoo Christian lineup who hadn’t struck out that day. Behind her loomed big-hitting teammates Sydney Duong and Jayme Koning, who combined for 25 home runs on the season. The championship was slipping away from USA, three outs from the crown.
But those three outs would come in earth-rattling fashion.
Unionville-Sebewaing second baseman Nichole Schember, left, and shortstop Rylee Zimmer celebrate after completing a game-ending triple play in the Division 4 state final. (Jake May | MLive.com) Jake May | MLive.com
Gano blasted a liner up the middle that had game-tying double written all over it. But before Christian coach Kevin Lewis could start waving runners home, before the Comets could start dancing in the dugout and before the fans could even rise to their feet, the game was over.
The ball drilled Polega on her pitching elbow and ricocheted to Zimmer, who caught it out of the air, stepped on second base and fired to Delanie Pavlichek at first for a game-ending, championship-clinching triple play.
Bingo, bango, bongo.
“I turned around and saw a little yellow in Rylee’s glove and said ‘Oh, my gosh. She’s got it!’ From that point on, I was confident because I knew Rylee knew what to do,” Polega said. “Tears were coming out and I don’t know if it’s because I was hurt or if they were happy tears.
“Coach (Tom) Williamson said I had been doing something weird with my arm. We called it the chicken wing, because I was sticking my elbow out after every pitch. I’m glad I did.”
In Zimmer, the Patriots had a three-sport varsity standout and a softball all-stater who knew how to prepare and how to react in a pressure situation. Before many in the stadium fully realized what was unfolding, the senior had spun the play of the year.
“I felt I had the best athlete on the field and, fortunately, the ball found her,” said Gainforth, who was in his third season at the helm of his alma mater’s softball program. “Players make plays and there wasn’t a better player in Division 4 than Rylee Zimmer.
“My first reaction when the ball was hit was ‘Uh-oh.’ And then it was ‘Oh! Oh! Oh! We’re state champs!’ If that ball is an inch up or inch down, does it take the same bounce? If it hits her shin what happens? Sometimes it’s all about which way the ball bounces and, my god, did we get a great bounce.”
Unionville-Sebewaing catcher Maci Montgomery embraces pitcher Brynn Polega after their Division 4 state championship victory . (Jake May | MLive.com)Jake May | MLive.com
Gainforth bounded out of the dugout in an unbridled melee of joy – as if his team had just won a state championship on a triple play. He nearly skidded to the ground before his exuberance carried him back to his coaches for a leaping celebration. In the midst of it all, however, he had the wherewithal to scoop up the glorious game ball, which now has a rightful place in the USA trophy case.
By the time the Patriots made it back home, where the street was lined that night with roaring fans, Gainforth’s phone was blowing up as friends and college buddies from across the nation were texting him about his dance. Many messages came marked #ESPNTop10.
MLive sports writer Patrick Nothaft caught the miraculous finish on video. It was picked up by ESPN and landed at the No. 1 spot on SportsCenter’s Top Plays. Suddenly, the Patriots had fans from coast to coast.
“My uncle from North Carolina called from work the next day and said ‘I need you to tell all these guys you’re the girl who got hit on ESPN. They don’t believe I know you,’” Polega said. “I said ‘I have the bruise to prove it. I can send a picture.’”
Polega was left with stitch marks on her elbow and was favoring her right arm while shaking hands with the Kalamazoo Christian players after the game, leaving Gainforth to wonder if his ace could have continued pitching if the game hadn’t ended on her final toss.
“Adrenaline probably would have carried her through,” he said. “But that would have been interesting bringing in (a freshman backup pitcher) in a spot like that.”
While the sting of the ball no longer lingers for Polega, the pain of the outcome surely resonates for Kalamazoo Christian. And the USA players said they can sympathize.
“To have that hope taken away from you in a split second, that’s tough,” said Montgomery, the two-time all-state catcher. “I feel so bad for those baserunners because they’re probably thinking ‘It’s my fault.’ But it happened so fast, nobody was prepared. If I was in their shoes, I don’t think I’d ever get over it, so I do feel bad for them.”
Unionville-Sebewaing head coach Isaiah Gainforth hoists the championship trophy after winning the MHSAA softball Division 4 state championship game between Kalamazoo Christian and Unionville-Sebewaing at Secchia Stadium at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan on Saturday, June 15, 2019. The Patriots won the game by a final of 3-1.Emil Lippe | MLive.com
One year after that incredible highlight, the Patriots are feeling their own pain. When the MHSAA canceled all spring sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it deprived them of the opportunity to build on their legacy.
“It’s one of the hardest things I’ve had to face as a teenager. One whole year of softball has been taken away,” Montgomery said. “Coming off the hype of winning, we were ready to play the next day. We were always at the cage hitting, saying ‘Let’s make it two in a row.’ There’s no doubt in my mind we would make it back. It’s upsetting.
“When we got that text from our coach, Brynn and I went out to the field and cried and played catch. You’d never think this would happen, ever. I hope nobody takes the game for granted because you never know when it can be your last. I realize I did take it for granted, and I never will again.”
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