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Sports

Chamberlain Softball Upset in Regionals

Another softball season ends in upset after the Lady Chiefs fall 4-3 in the regional quarterfinals.

Before every home Chamberlain High School softball game a member of the Lady Chiefs carries a vinyl sign out to left field, unravels it, and hangs it on the outfield fence.

The sign plays as both a tribute to their past and a reminder of expectations.

“2003 5A State Champions”

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Once again a talented Chamberlain softball team fell short of those lofty expectations.

In their first game of the regional tournament, mistakes compounded and the Lady Chiefs lost a closely fought game to Venice, 4-3.

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“You can't win like that,” said Coach Bob Diez, finishing his 16th season at the helm for Chamberlain. “If your heart is in it and this is the most important thing, you don't play like that.”

“They just weren't ready to play.”

Down 4-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning, junior Ellen Scott, who hit a walk-off home run to win districts for the Chiefs on Friday, once again tried to play hero.

With two outs she hit a two RBI single to right-field, capping off a night when she was 3-for-3 at the plate, and drawing Chamberlain within one. But it wasn’t enough.

From the field to the dugout to the bleachers packed with fans, everyone knew this was a game the Chiefs should have won. Something was off with the team.

The loss was their first of the season at home and comes after Chamberlain was a perfect 12-0 in league games.

After playing their last game in a Chamberlain uniform, the Chiefs two seniors, outfielder Angela Kafalas and infielder Kaitlynn Diaz, knew the team could have done so much more.

“I didn’t think we’d go out like that,” said Kafalas. “We just were not prepared.”

Diaz didn’t see the same Chiefs team out there on the field Tuesday night. Their dynamic was off.

“It's a really bad way to end the season. The chemistry just wasn’t there,” she said, trying to imagine what could have been for a team that was once ranked as high as third in a 5A poll.

 “This was our worst day and we lost by one, imagine us on our best day.”

Both Kafalas and Diaz are looking to continue their softball careers together this fall when they will attend Saint Leo University.

“I’m really excited to move on,” said Diaz. “I'm just really going to miss the girls. They're like a family.”

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