By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer
After weather stopped play at the WIAA Division 2 state softball semifinal June 9 in Madison, Delavan-Darien senior Jennah Speth had 17 strikeouts, but when the game ended the next day, she set a new state tournament record with 22 strikeouts.
“On Thursday when I saw what I did, I was like, I want to break the record,” Speth said. “Then we ended up going eight, nine innings.”
Speth, who dueled with Northwestern/South Shore pitcher Cheyenne Johnson needed all of her pitches to work after both posted zeroes through 8 innings.
But, Speth felt great in pre-game warmups, stating she had hit her spots.
“I felt good before the game, I was hitting my spots,” she said.
The University of Illinois-Chicago commit credited her pitching coach, Roanna Brazier on the development of her pitching repertoire that includes a fastball and rise ball, a pitch she did not possess as a freshman.
“My freshman year, I definitely did not have a rise ball, I had nothing but a fastball,” Speth said, “For the last five years, Roanna has really helped me with my pitching.”
When play resumed the following day at Waunakee High School, she retired five of the last six hitters via strikeout, and also scored the game-winning run courtesy of a junior Morgyn DeLara standup double to left-center field.
In the bottom half the inning, Jennah Speth had 19 strikeouts, tying the all-state record set in 2002 by a Horicon pitcher.
But, her mission intensified, striking out all three hitters, eclipsing the state record by three.
In the 2-1 state title loss against New Berlin West, she continued to hit her spots, striking out 14 more to tie the overall state tournament record.
Despite the loss, her strikeout record, and playing alongside her younger sister, Jaida, is something she will not forget.
“It was an amazing experience and it was an experience that will stick with us for the rest of our lives,” Speth said. “Knowing that she was behind me meant a lot.”
