Grams, Goranson can grin after win
Make it 31 seasons that Elk Grove softball coach Ken Grams has at least one win.
And if this season is like the past 30, there will be plenty more.
The veteran Hall of Famer watched his Grenadiers notch their first win of the spring behind the superb pitching of Michigan State recruit Dani Goranson, who threw nearly five perfect innings of a combined 6-0 shutout win over Libertyville.
Grams now has a Mid-Suburban League record of 713 career wins against 300 losses.
Goranson (1-1) struck out 11, but one reached on a dropped third strike which prevented her perfect five-inning stint.
Classmate Andrea Starr threw the final 2 innings as Elk Grove (1-1) closed out the 2011 Illinois Bash Indoor Spring Jamboree at the Schaumburg Sports Complex on Tuesday.
It was fitting that Goranson stole the show in the tourney finale since her father Jim directed the five-day indoor event.
And Goranson is a member of the Illinois Bash, which went 31-0 in the indoor complex last fall.
“It’s nice to get rolling with a win,” said Goranson (2-for-4, 2 RBI), who also had the day’s offensive highlight when she blasted an RBI double that hit the bottom of the right-field wall on a fly some 225 feet from home plate. “I was throwing a lot of movement pitches and they were moving for me.”
The Grens did a nice job moving baserunners in the second inning when they scored 4 runs.
Kristen Cetkovic (1-for-2) and Carly Danek (2-for-3, RBI) led off with back-to-back hit by pitches and were sacrificed to second and third by Starr.
Cetkovic came home on freshman Becca Maher’s fielder’s choice for the first run.
Devan Parkison crushed a 2-run triple to left center which probaly would have cleared a 200-foot fence.
Goranson then pulled her long double to right to make it 4-0.
“Offensively, we had only one strikeout and two lazy flyballs,” Grams said. “That means we were hitting down and hard, so that was encouraging.
“Dani did well on the mound. When she is cooking, it’s hard to pick up on her pitch, so she’ll get a lot of strikeouts.”
“She (Goranson) will probably be one of the best pitchers we will face this season,” said Libertyville coach Mary Tiegs, who used three pitchers (Emilie Teitz, Calley Kaluzny and Andie Grant). “I told the girls if we want to be the best, we’ve got to see the best. We were challenged by Elk Grove and we want to be challenged.”
The Wildcats (1-2) got their first hit when Val Steinhauser singled to center with one in the top of the sixth.
No. 3 hitter Kaluzny led off the seventh with a single to center and stole second base but Starr got the next three batters to save the shutout.
Junior Tori Liewergen also went 2-for-3 with 2 doubles for Elk Grove while teammate Krista Soesbe doubled.
“It’s good to get this first win,” Grams added. “Now we can get used to going outside. We only been outside twice for practice (on the grass) and haven’t even been on our dirt field yet.”
Conant 10, Larkin 0 (5 innings): Junior Briana Cavin, a Wisconsin-Green Bay recruit, threw a five-inning no-hitter (7 strikeouts, 1 walk) for the host Cougars (4-0).
Kim Jacobsen (2-for-3) belted a home run for Conant while teammate Hilary O’Donnell (3-for-3) had 2 triples. Teammate Miranda Cavin also tripled.
“I was very pleased with how the girls came out to play offensively and defensively,” said Conant coach CathyAnn Smith, whose all-area junior Allie Bauch saw action for the first time this season after being sidelined with a fractured ankle.
Prospect 10, St. Viator 0 (5 inn.): Senior southpaw Sam Mangrum (2-0) won her second game in as many days with a 1-hitter and 5 strikeouts for host Prospect (2-0).
Knights junior Michele Molini (2-for-3, walk) belted a triple and double to lead the offense.
Mangrum (1 walks) allowed only 3 baserunners, including Lions pitcher Julie Sweeney, who had her team’s only hit with one out in the fourth inning.
It followed the Knights’ only error, so the Lions had runners on first and second.
Prospect shortstop Nikki Surico recorded a putout at second base on a force play and then had an assist to first baseman Hanna Lythberg for the third out.
Lythberg and Sarah Scaccia had the other 2 hits for Prospect which took advantage of 6 errors by the Lions.
“Sam was pretty dominating,” said Knights coach Jim Adair. “She gave up mostly pop-ups and grounders. It was a fantastic effort.”
Wheeling 6, Streamwood 4: Host Wheeling opened its season with a win as sophomore Emily Walker (2-for-3, 2 runs) led the offense.
Winning pitcher Sejal Shah struck out four in the first 4 innings (4 strikeouts) while freshman teammate Katie Quagliano went the final 3 innings with 3 strikeouts.
Sara Kern, Ashley Hafertepe and Alyson Fallon each had RBI for the Wildcats.
“Their right fielder (Andrea Barajas) made two great catches to rob Sara Kern and Ashley Hafertepe of extra bases,” said Wildcats coach Mike Caringella, whose team hosts Dundee-Crown on Thursday.