Emma Mendoker paints one last masterpiece to end Amherst high school career
1
WORCESTER
In the final and biggest stage of her brilliant high school career, Amherst Regional senior Emma Mendoker delivered one last masterpiece.
The team's gut-wrenching 1-0 loss in the state Division 1 championship game Saturday dampened the mood, of course, even as Mendoker was given flowers and congratulations for striking out her 1,000th career batter during the post-game. But the state Gatorade Player of the Year still bade farewell to the Hurricanes' program with one last epic performance before heading to Division I East Carolina University in the fall.
Facing a deep and talented King Philip lineup that included at least three future Division I players, Mendoker was untouchable for 5-2/3 innings, enjoying a perfect game through the first 17 Warriors she faced.
"Her main thing all the time is to move their eyes," Amherst coach Kacey Schmitt said. "She goes low, she goes high, she changes speeds. She looks at their first at-bat, what does their swing look like, where are they standing at the plate.
Schmitt added, "She's learned and been trained by (pitching coach) Denise Davis how to read the hitter and she and (catcher) Zoe (Dillon-Davidson) have gotten very, very good about knowing what to call. And the thing about Emma is that she has such an arsenal of both movement and speed that it keeps them off-balance."
In Saturday's game, King Philip (26-0) eventually broke through with a grounder up the middle, a bunt single and a dropped fly ball to win its second straight state title.
"Right now, I'm mad, but I'm glad that we got here, that we even reached this point," Mendoker said after the game. "It's upsetting how it ended, but we're human and it happens."
The state title game featured a rare time when the opposing team had a pitcher equal to Mendoker's ability, as Megan Rico pitched out of two jams with runners on second and third and less than two outs. Rico, a junior who is already committed to George Washington, struck out 19 while allowing four hits. She's the favorite to win next year's Gatorade award.
"When I'm challenged, my adrenaline goes up and I'm at my best," Mendoker said.
She reached the 1,000-strikeout milestone by striking out the side in the fifth inning. There was a loud roar from the Amherst crowd when it happened, but an official announcement waited until the end of the game.
The feat is extremely rare in general and even more so considering Mendoker's circumstances as a four-year varsity player who plays in the Division 1 power conference. Many 1,000-strikeout pitchers were five-year starters in lower leagues.
"Right now, it doesn't really mean anything to me," Mendoker said. "I guess it's a great accomplishment for myself, but (Saturday) I wanted to win the state title. That was my goal."
Jim Pignatiello can be reached at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com.
