After a loss in the state semifinals, morale was low for the Marist softball team as the RedHawks looked to the Class 4A third-place game.
But junior Lexi Kyros and her teammates rallied, looking to enjoy their last game together.
And there was some added motivation: revenge.
Playing on June 6 at the Louisville Slugger Complex in Peoria, Marist defeated Oswego 6-0 to finish third in Class 4A.
Oswego ended Marist’s season in the supersectional in 2025.
“Our goal is to always be at the state finals and be in the state championship game,” Kyros said. “We fell short of that. Playing Oswego though, we can get some revenge. It was a lot of different emotions. We were happy to get back to the state finals, but we were definitely not satisfied.”
The RedHawks lost 2-1 to eventual state champion Lincoln-Way West on June 5 in the semifinals. Marist stranded nine runners in the loss.
The RedHawks, whose only other defeat was 4-3 in eight innings to Indiana power Hanover Central on April 28, finished 37-2.
Coach Colleen Phelan said she was proud of how her team rallied after the semifinal loss.
In two previous trips to the third-place game, Marist lost in 2017 and 2019.
“You tell them to be resilient, show their heart and bounce back,” Phelan said. “They did that and really ended on a good note and sent our seniors out with a win. They tried to have a last fun game together, enjoy each other’s company for two more hours and pick each other up. You’re lucky to get that opportunity.”
Kyros finished with three hits, two RBIs and a run against Oswego.
Junior Soleil Tate did her usual double duty, throwing a shutout for the win. She allowed just six hits and a walk with 10 strikeouts. At the plate, she had two hits and two RBIs.
Junior Alia Rowles added two hits, a home run, two RBIs and a run.
Kyros, a Michigan recruit, was on a tear at the plate in recent weeks.
“The last couple weeks I was super confident,” Kyros said. “I was trying to bring in as many runs as I could and execute for the team. I was trying to ‘see ball, wait and hit it’ and do the best I could.”
Rowles’ two-run blast to right center in the second gave Marist the early lead.
It was her fourth of the year.
“It was first pitch. I was trying to be aggressive,” Rowles said. “I wanted to get things going, especially with runners in scoring position. It was a great spot to get going with two outs.”
The state trophy was the ninth for Marist since 2012.
“We took the night and even the morning. It was hard to find the motivation to go play (after losing),” Rowles said. “We were all locked in and did it for each other, especially for our seniors, and played with Team 24 one last time.”