Loyola's Miller totally perfect vs. Fremd

EAST PEORIA—On softball's biggest stage, Loyola's Devin Miller was perfect, and then some.

Miller fired an eight-inning perfect game and Loyola scored an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth to capture a 1-0 victory over Fremd Friday evening in the Class 4A semifinals at EastSide Centre.

Miller's masterpiece came on the heels of a no-hitter by Edwardsville's Lauren Francis in a 2-0 win over Naperville Central in the first semifinal.

Loyola (35-2) defeated Edwardsville 2-1 in an eight-inning game played with International Rule on April 25. Edwardsville (36-4) hasn't lost since.

"It was exciting, I wasn't expecting that," Miller said of the perfect game. "My job is to keep the hitters off balance and that's what I did.

"But I was aware that I had it and I wanted it."

It was the third perfect game and seventh no-hitter on the season for the senior right-hander. Miller (26-2) struck out 15, including a stretch of eight in a row from the last out in the first to the first out in the fourth.

"Just an unbelievable game, talk about a stud," Loyola coach Marty Jennings said. "She loves this stage. When the pitcher before her (Francis) threw a no-hitter, I knew Devin might do something special too.

"She dominated the game and wants to be known as the best."

Lena Brottman (20-4) was very good too for Fremd (32-5). The junior righty allowed five hits, while walking two and striking out 11.

But two Viking errors by Brottman led to the deciding run. Molly Warner reached on a throwing error to open the eighth. Then with Warner on second and two outs, Miller hit a grounder back to Brottman that she threw high to first and Warner weaved home with the winning run.

"The bottom line is if Lena hadn't pitched the way she did we wouldn't be here," Fremd coach Jim Weaver said. "But Miller is the real deal. We knew what we were up against. She had great movement and she's a first team All-Stater for a reason."