Jaynes' walk off homer in 8th lifts Elgin past Streamwood

Jenna Jaynes couldn't have picked a better moment in which to hit her first high school home run.

The Elgin senior deposited Kelsey Johnson's first pitch to her with no outs in the bottom of the eighth inning Tuesday well over the left-field fence for a 3-run walk off home run that lifted the Maroons to a 10-7 win over Streamwood in the semifinals of the Class 4A Streamwood softball regional.

"Before I went to bat I was extremely nervous," said Jaynes, who missed the first month of the season with mono. "I just said you can be a hero or you can be a zero and I didn't want to be a zero."

The top-seeded Maroons (11-25), who snapped a 7-game losing streak, will play for the regional championship against the winner of today's game between Larkin and Hoffman Estates. The title game is currently scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, the same time as Elgin's graduation ceremony at the Sears Centre. Streamwood athletic director Steve Gertz acknowledged there will be a time change but the time of the title game won't be determined until after the Larkin-Hoffman game.

Elgin will be seeking its first regional title since 1995.

Elgin had to grab victory from the jaws of defeat after 4 infield errors in the top of the eighth allowed the fourth-seeded Sabres (7-24) to take a 7-5 lead. The Sabres had only 1 hit - a bunt single by Bri Bodajewicz - in the inning and the only ball they hit out of the infield was a fly ball for the third out.

"We came unglued there in that last inning," said Elgin coach Chad Dahlman. "But to see them come back and battle like that says something. That's the first comeback win we've had this season and we were lucky to come back."

The entire game went back and forth like a cat chasing a mouse. Streamwood scored 3 runs in the first, Elgin went ahead 4-3 in the second, Streamwood tied it in the top of the fourth and Elgin regained a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the inning. Streamwood scored on a throwing error in the top of the fifth to make it 5-5 and then Johnson, a junior, and Elgin sophomore Hannah Perryman held their opponents at bay until the eighth.

After allowing the Sabres to take the 7-5 lead in the top of the inning, the Maroons started their comeback with a single from leadoff hitter Brandi Hernandez, who was 3-for-5 on the day. Sophomore call-up Emily Bell then delivered a pinch-hit single and Perryman reached on an error that allowed Hernandez to scored to make it 7-6. Another infield error allowed Samantha Doty to reach and Bell to score the tying run as well as set up Jaynes for her game-winning bomb, which was her third hit of the game.

"She's a four-year varsity player who missed the first month of the season with mono and she's come back and been a real leader for us," Dahlman said of Jaynes.

Senior Kelly Patchett had a double for the Maroons, as did Perryman and Mari Aguilera.

Streamwood managed 9 hits off Perryman (10-11), who also walked 5 batters. She also struck out five. Amanda Patterson and Jenna Szabo added 2 hits each for the Sabres and Delaney O'Malley had a double.

"That's a microcosm of our season," said Streamwood coach Nick Baird, who, like Dahlman, isn't yet sure of his teaching status for next year. "If you're not prepared to overcome the mistakes you make it's tough to play this game. But I'm proud of my girls for the way they played and I'm thankful to the community and the administration for the support they've given me and this program in my three years here."