‘As good as it gets’: Prairie Ridge takes control, beats St. Laurence to bring home first IHSA state trophy

PEORIA – There wasn’t a dry eye in sight as Prairie Ridge coach Scott Busam placed a medal around the necks of his 14 players and four assistants following a 12-0, five-inning victory over St. Laurence in the Class 3A state third-place game on Saturday.

Wolves senior catcher Kendra Carroll was last to arrive in line at Louisville Slugger Sports Complex as she wiped away tears and stood proudly next to teammates one last time.

“This is what it’s all about,” said Carroll, who will attend South Florida but not play softball. “Win or lose, we all support each other and have each other’s backs. This is as good as it gets – just having my teammates here and feeling supported by them.”

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Members of the Prairie Ridge softball team pose with the Class 3A State third place trophy on Saturday, June 14, 2025 at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria. (Scott Anderson)

The Wolves (29-2-1) were a supportive bunch throughout a record-breaking season, capturing back-to-back regional titles, their first sectional championship in 16 years and earning their first trip to state.

Prairie Ridge was shut out for the first time all year Friday in a 5-0 state semifinal loss to Glenwood. The Wolves came back with one of their best offensive showings.

“I think we were a little nervous yesterday, a little tight,” Busam said of Friday’s loss. “It’s the biggest moment in most of our lives, but we didn’t come down here to go 0-2.

“They decided this morning, when we got off that bus, we’re going out in a blaze of glory. They came out unafraid, in attack mode, Reese [Mosolino] was dialed in, just doing what got us here.”

After being held to three hits Friday, Prairie Ridge pounded out 17 hits, including five for extra bases, to leave no doubt Saturday. Leadoff hitter Ady Kiddy set the stage with a single in her first at-bat and came around to score on a hard hit back to the pitcher by sophomore Kylie Carroll.

Kiddy, a senior shortstop who will play at Illinois next year, reached base all four times in her final high school game. She recorded four singles, four runs scored and a pair of RBIs.

“She’s the catalyst for this [offense], she always has been,” Busam said of Kiddy, who was the Wolves’ leader in batting average (.466), hits (54), doubles (17), homers (six), RBIs (39) and runs (46). “When she’s hitting, everybody wants a piece of it. She’s such a special player and has become such a great leader for us.”

With a big lead, the Wolves were able to play all 14 players Saturday. Sophomore Bella Moore was 4 for 4 with a double, two runs scored and one RBI, while Kiddy, junior Parker Frey (2 for 3, triple, two runs), Kylie Carroll (triple), senior Autumn Ledgerwood (2 for 4, double) and sophomore Mary-Kate Center (2 for 3, double) each drove in two runs.

Kendra Carroll had an RBI hit in the fourth inning, and Kylie Rosene had a pinch-hit single and run scored in the fifth. Prairie Ridge sent nine batters to the plate in the second and fourth innings – grabbing a 6-0 lead after two and 10-0 lead after four.

A smiling Kiddy was happy to see the Wolves’ bats get hot early.

“We were just thinking, ‘We need to finish this, we came here to win, and we’re going to do that.’ ” Kiddy said. “Obviously I wish we were playing for the state championship, but I think we put it all out there, we left it all on the field, and I’m so proud of us and what we accomplished.”

After suffering her first loss of the season Friday in the semifinals, Mosolino (19-1), an Indiana commit, came back and had the look of the pitcher who was unfazed and unbothered all year.

Mosolino, a junior, went over 500 career strikeouts and now has 502 in her career. On the season, she posted a 0.84 ERA and 0.89 WHIP with 190 strikeouts and 40 walks in 150⅔ innings. Junior Emma Dallas was 10-1 with a 2.23 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 53⅓ innings, throwing mostly early in the season as Mosolino made her way back from injury.

“Making history at our school feels so good, knowing we accomplished something that’s never been done before,” said Mosolino, who gave up three singles and struck out six, including the last batter, while recording nine shutouts in her last 13 games.

Mosolino said ending the season with a victory was important because of the team’s three seniors, and “how great of people they are and how hard they work.”

Those seniors – Kiddy, Kendra Carroll and Ledgerwood – have helped lead the Wolves to one of their greatest stretches in program history. After going 10-19 as freshmen, Prairie Ridge went 14-14 in 2023 and 25-6 in 2024, before this year’s 29-2-1 mark.

“A lot of sacrifice, a lot of hard work, a lot went into this,” said Busam, who was helped and joined by assistants’ Mark Hardie, Mike Frey, Steve Connell and Samantha Hardie. “We did something most people just dream of. We got to win the last game of the season and go home with a big trophy for our school.”

Kylie and Kendra Carroll have appreciated their time together the past two seasons. The sisters were a force in the middle of the Wolves’ lineup, hitting third and fourth.

“She’s always been a role model, I’ve always looked up to her,” Kylie said of Kendra. “I haven’t played high school softball without her, so it will be a big adjustment. ... She’s always supported me. It’s fun to see how she’s grown as a person.”

Kendra, too, enjoyed spending more time with her younger sister.

They often exchanged smiles and words of encouragement as the other was up to bat.

“It’s your sister, you have your arguments and you bicker back and forth,” Kendra said, “but it all comes down to being able to see her play and know that she’s going to go on to do amazing things. And I’m proud of her for that. That meant a lot to see her flourish as a person and and player.”

The Wolves will return a hungry group next year, one Kiddy thinks can continue to do big things.

“I think they can do this and better,” Kiddy said. “I believe in them. I think they have so much potential. As long as we have snacks, I think they can do a lot. We just need to stay fed.”