EAST PEORIA - Amber May's performance in Normal Community High School's 3-0, nine-inning victory over Chicago Resurrection in the Class AA state softball tournament Friday won't get the national recognition it deserves. | Photo gallery

Combining elements of Kirk Gibson's walk-off home run in the 1988 World Series and Michael Jordan's 38-point "flu-game" in the 1997 NBA finals, May came within one strikeout of the tournament record while overcoming a knee that will have surgery Wednesday and vomiting that kept her awake until 4 a.m.

NCHS coach Bob Grimes set aside his low-key demeanor while searching for new superlatives to describe May's career-high 19-strikeout masterpiece.

"I just basically love her," he said. "She's something special."

May's heroics would have been for naught without Lisa White's run-scoring single in the ninth after back-to-back hits by Katie Lutes and Jessi Smith.

Courtney Sharp followed White with a two-run double as the Ironmen guaranteed themselves a third state trophy on their fourth Elite Eight trip since 2001. Resurrection bowed out at 30-5.

NCHS (30-7) takes on Edwardsville (36-3) in today's noon semifinal at EastSide Centre. The Tigers topped Oak Park-River Forest, 1-0.

Today's 10 a.m. semifinal pits Downers Grove South (32-5-1) against Barrington (36-3). The third-place game is at 4:30 p.m. and the final at 7.

Downers Grove South topped Bartlett, 3-2, Friday while Barrington downed Frankfort Lincoln-Way East, 2-1.

May was among seven Ironmen who failed to keep food down during the 24 hours before the first pitch.

"There is a virus going around our team right now," May said. "I told Mom this morning, 'I'm not go-ing to stop now because of the virus. I've come this far with the knee, this isn't going to stop me.'"

May stopped the first seven batters she faced on strikeouts. The only pitcher to finish with more strikeouts in the 23-year history of the Class AA tournament was Sandburg's Brittany McIntyre, who had 20 in a 1-0 14-inning loss to NCHS in the 2002 semifinals.

"We've seen some good pitchers, but she was excellent," said Resurrection coach Mike Marrese, whose team was held to four hits. "We just couldn't get two hits in a row."

Grimes never considered resting May.

"With what she has been through this year, I would have had to tie her to a semi or something," Grimes said. "There was no way she wasn't going to pitch today."

Resurrection sophomore pitcher Hana Somogyi (25-2) limited NCHS to two hits through eight scoreless innings before the Ironmen erupted for four hits in the ninth. She struck out seven, walked one and hit a batter.

With his 2-3-4 hitters coming up in the ninth, Grimes told his players he had goose bumps.

"I said, 'I think good things are going to happen now' and they went out and made it come true," he said.

Lutes led off with a single to left before Smith reached on a drive up the middle. White picked up her 17th RBI of the season with a fly ball that sailed over the left fielder.

"Lisa all year has done well," Grimes said. "She was under the weather a little bit, too. I was glad to see her finally make contact. That's the kind of hitter she is and that's why she's our DB."

With runners at second and third, Sharp swatted a drive to left to notch her first double of the season and end the scoring.

"We hadn't been hitting all game and Coach said, 'you need a hit,'" Sharp said. "So I found a pitch and I just drove it and it felt great."

Those runs came when May felt the worst.

"I was kind of getting dizzy out there, light-headed from being sick," she said.

Resurrection got the stomachs of NCHS fans churning in the eighth with a single by Katie Kiscellus and an infield hit by Ashley Szyszka to create a runners-at-second-and-third situation.

May extinguished the threat with her 18th strikeout.

Asked if she can pitch two games today, May said, "We'll find out."

NCHS schedules reception

The Ironmen will be honored at a reception open to the public at 2 p.m. Sunday in the NCHS cafeteria.