Steinbach, Andrean outduel Dobson, Kankakee Valley

Updated: May 28, 2011 11:54PM

Andrean’s formula coming into any game that Nicole Steinbach starts in the circle is to get a run early and then play solid defense the rest of the way.

On Saturday at the Griffith Sectional championship that formula was executed to perfection as Savannah Kinsella led off the first inning with a towering home run over the center-field fence as Andrean captured its fifth straight sectional title with a 2-0 victory over Kankakee Valley.

Steinbach pitched a dominant complete-game, two-hit shutout while striking out 15 Kougars. For the sectional, she struck out a total of 44 batters in three games.

“I was really focused today,” Steinbach said. “I wanted to beat KV because I knew they were going to come out strong.”

Her counterpart, Ashley Dobson, was brilliant as well. The pair split during the season, with Dobson’s team capturing the conference championship as a bonus.

But coming into sectional play, Andrean would have gladly traded a conference title for another sectional crown.

“We told the girls last night to forget about conference and let’s go out there and win a state ring,” Andrean coach Henry Ryan said.

Standing in the 59ers’ way was Dobson of KV.

“We knew coming into this game that it was going to be a pitchers’ duel,” Ryan said.

“We talk all the time with our team that if we could get just one run, we win the game. Two runs is just icing on the cake.”

The one run could not have come at a better time. Kinsella admitted that she wasn’t looking to hit one out to start the game. But instead, just wanted to make contact.

The ball jumped off her bat, easily clearing the center-field fence for her third home run of the year.

“I just wanted to get a base hit to start it off,” said Kinsella of her mindset going into the at-bat. “I actually didn’t think that it was going out once I hit the ball. I had no idea until I looked up. It’s a pretty good feeling.”

The 59ers (22-7) added an insurance run in the sixth inning as Catherine Murad singled to lead off the inning and scored on Kaitlin Barajas’ RBI single. Barajas had half of her team’s hit total as she finished 2-for-3 with a double.

Dobson for KV was the only Kougars player not to strikeout against Steinbach as she managed to reach base twice with a single and walk.

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