Aguilar's blast lifts Loyola

Teresa Aguilar led off the bottom of the 10th inning by lining a home run off the scoreboard in left field to give host Loyola a 1-0 victory over Queen of Peace in the GCAC semifinals Thursday in Glenview.

Aguilar’s blast, her seventh home run of the season, was the first walk-off shot of her career and ended a great pitching duel between Loyola’s Devin Miller and the Pride’s Lindsay Coleman, who combined to let only six balls out of the infield.

“It was down in the zone,” Aguilar said. “She was pitching them high a lot and I was looking for one down and I just wanted to drive it. I was just happy I got it over for Devin because she pitched a great game.”

Miller (11-2) hurled a one-hitter with two walks and 17 strikeouts to lift Loyola (20-2) into Saturday’s championship game. She retired 17 straight before Queen of Peace’s Jackie Janeteas reached on an error in the top of the 10th. Janeteas advanced to third on two groundouts before being stranded when Miller fanned Ariel Cisneros.

Coleman was just as dominant for the Pride (11-12), allowing three hits and one walk to go with 16 strikeouts. She had a perfect game until Aguilar, the only player not to strike out, singled to center with two outs in the seventh.

“She’s our best hitter,” Loyola coach Marty Jennings said of his junior catcher. “Every at-bat today she was on the ball. I told her right before [the homer], ‘Stay in your zone and drive the ball.’ Great hitters make that happen.”

“We were confident we were going to get it done,” Aguilar said. “It’s so exciting.”