Schoenfeld spells trouble for Carmel’s foes

Note the “k” in the not-so-traditional spelling of Carmel Catholic pitcher Erika Schoenfeld’s first name.

It’s fitting.

While the junior doesn’t necessarily ring up plenty of Ks, she does throw plenty of strikes.

Take a two-strike pitch from Schoenfeld and be prepared to be rung up.

“She’s just a strike machine,” Carmel coach Jason Raymond said of Schoenfeld, after her complete-game shutout led the Corsairs to a 2-0 win over Glenbrook South in the second game of the day for each team at Carmel on Saturday.

“She just hits the corners or an inch or two off the corner. When she does that, she’s tough.”

Take this stat against Glenbrook South: Schoenfeld threw 61 strikes and just 18 balls.

“I haven’t always been the fastest, but I’ve been pretty accurate,” said Schoenfeld, who’s been a pitcher for as long as she can remember playing softball, which she says she’s been doing since about first grade.

Sally Snarski’s first-inning 2-run homer — her second long ball of the day and fourth this season — accounted for all of the scoring in the last of the day’s three games.

Carmel, which was victimized by a 4-run seventh inning in an 8-6 loss to Warren to start the day, will bring a 4-3 record into Monday’s 11 a.m. East Suburban Catholic Conference doubleheader at Joliet Catholic.

After their loss to Warren, while Warren played Glenbrook South, Carmel’s players killed about two hours hanging out together beyond the right-field fence.

“We have a lot of good team chemistry,” Schoenfeld said. “We all hang out with each other and we talk, whether it’s about the game or not.”

Raymond liked that his team didn’t lament its crushing loss to Warren. With two out in the bottom of the first, Jenny Behan reached base on a shot off Glenbrook South sophomore pitcher Katie Rossman. Snarski then lined a pitch over the fence in left-center.

“They came out focused and ready to play that next game,” Raymond said. “It was nice to see that.”

Snarski, who last week hit a home run at Carmel that landed high up in the trees beyond the fence in left, finished 2-for-3 and had 4 hits on the day.

“Sally,” Raymond said with a chuckle, “is just a monster swinging the bat.”

Schoenfeld scattered 5 singles, struck out three and didn’t walk a batter. She pitched around 2 errors in the seventh, getting the final out on a groundball to second baseman Amy Abel (1-for-3) with two runners on.

“I was worried the whole time (in between games),” Schoenfeld. “I was trying to keep my head focused.”

Glenbrook South, which edged Warren 2-1 and has been playing strong teams all spring, fell to 4-10. Megan Steil went 2-for-3 for the Titans.

“We’re very heavy on sophomores, and (the team) has been working hard on getting better every game,” Glenbrook South coach Kay Sopocy said. “It’s been small steps. Today things came together. I was real happy with our day.”