Softball / Postseason scouting, Northwest
Barrington sectional
Wed., May 30: 4:30 p. m: Winner of Hoffman Estates regional vs. Winner of Rolling Meadows regional; Thursday., May 31: 4:30 p.m.: Winner of Elk Grove regional vs. Winner of Fremd regional; Saturday, June 2: championship 11 a.m.
Hoffman Estates regional: Freshman pitcher Charlotte Allan has pitched almost every game for the host Hawks, seeded No. 16. They will open against No. 17 Larkin in a play-in game on Monday. Two-time defending MSL champ Conant (30-3) and pitcher Briana Cavin (27-2) have set school records for single-season wins. The top-seeded Cougars, who were 16-0 in the MSL West, got their closest conference test from No. 8 seeded-Palatine (5-4 in 10 innings). Conant got its 30th win on Saturday with a 2-1 nine-inning victory over New Trier, which is top-seeded in its own sectional. Palatine is 16-19 while No. 8 Hersey is 15-17 and edged Palatine 4-2 this season.
Fremd regional: No. 3 Fremd went 28-7 with Rachel Doering (15-4) and Ashlynne Schwantz (13-3) sharing pitching duties. The Vikes open with No. 13 Streamwood (10-21) while No. 5 Lake Zurich (24-9) and No. 11 South Elgin (13-19) meet in the other semifinal. Fremd was second to MSL champion Conant in the MSL West. Senior second baseman Megan Hubbard recently became the school’s all-time home run leader (20). Brittany Delao (.423) leads the Streamwood offense.
Elk Grove regional: No. 2 Elk Grove (26-8) comes in as the defending MSL East champs. Senior Dani Goranson has done it on the mound (21-7) and in the batter’s box (close to .550 batting average) for the Grens, who open with No. 15 Dundee-Crown (8-23) and standout hitter Melany Love (.533). No. 6 Elgin (20-11) also has a formidable pitcher in Hannah Perryman (17-8, 1.30 ERA). She has 358 strikeouts this season and 826 in her four-year career. She is 10 strikeouts shy of tying the all-time school career record. Sophomore leadoff Anna Eckholm is hitting .388 for Elgin. Saxons senior Renee Kakareka (10-5, 2 no-hitters) has been throwing solid games for No. 10 Schaumburg (17-14). The senior shut out Elk Grove with a 3-hitter three weeks ago. Schaumburg will face Elgin on Wednesday.
Rolling Meadows regional: No. 4 Barrington (28-7) takes on No. 13 Buffalo Grove (9-24) in Tuesday’s first semifinal while host No. 7 Meadows (17-17) and No. 12 Prospect (10-25) meet in the second game under the lights at 7 p.m. Barrington took third in a tough MSL West behind Conant and Fremd with pitchers Cassidy Kraimer (16-6) and Emma Woods (8-0). Freshman Julia Camardo has been a major contributor on the mound and hitting for the Bison (9-24). Barrington defeated BG 2-0 earlier this season. Junior Sara Brunlieb improved to 14-8 when Meadows beat St. Viator 3-2 on Saturday. Brunlieb shut out Prospect 2-0 the first time and then Knights senior ace Hanna Lythberg (1.96 ERA) defeated the Mustangs 3-0. Lythberg (.400 hitter) also leads the offense for Prospect.
Niles West sectional
Wednesday, May 30, 4:30 p.m.: Winner of New Trier regional vs. Winner of Maine South regional; Thursday., May 31, 4:30 p. m: Winner of Wheeling regional vs. Winner of Niles North regional; Saturday., Jun. 2, 11 a.m.
Niles North regional: First-year coach Amy Gonzales guided the No. 3 Warriors (22-10, 9-1) to a share of the Central Suburban North title with Glenbrook North. Junior ace Ariel Valles is 17-7 in her third season on the mound. The Warriors will open against No. 15 Highland Park, who they defeated twice in league play by the 10-run rule. The Warriors also took a pair of wins over No. 6 Niles North. The Vikings will open with No. 11 Stevenson.
Wheeling regional: No. 14 Wheeling (11-21), which has won five of its last six games, faces No. 2 Glenbrook North while No. 7 Evanston and No. 10 Taft meet in the other semifinal. Sophomore Katie Quagliano has been the Wildcats’ ace this season and junior Sara Kern has paced the offense. In a doubleheader sweep of Highland Park Saturday, Kern was 7-for-9 with 2 home runs and 5 RBI.
Rounding out the sectional are top-seeded New Trier, Loyola (4), Maine South (5), Glenbrook South (8), Deerfield (9), Resurrection (12), Niles West (13), Lake Forest (16) and Maine East (17).
Trinity sectional
Wednesday, May 30, 4:30 p.m: Winner of St. Ignatius College Prep regional vs. Winner of the Lyons regional; Thursday, May 31, 4:30 p.m.:Winner of the Morton regional vs. Winner of the Fenwick regional; Saturday, June 2, champinship, 11 a.m.
Morton regional: No. 2 Leyden (26-7) and DePaul-bound pitcher Morgan Maize open against No. 15 Schurz. No. 7 Morton and No. 10 Whitney Young are in the other semifnal. Trinity is the top seed in its own sectional.
Class 3A Lakes sectional
Wednesday, May 30, 4:30 p.m.: Winner of Johnsburg regional vs. Winner of Antioch regional Thursday, May 31, 4:30 p.m.: Winner of Wauconda regional vs. Winner of Amundsen regional; Saturday, June 2, championship, 11 a.m.
Wauconda regional: No. 5 St. Viator (11-24) opens Monday at 4:30 p.m. against Wauconda. Sophomore Sam Hogan and freshman Krystal Harris have been sharing the pitching duties for the Lions, who are led on offense by shortstop Alex Flasch. The winner advances to Tuesday’s semifinal against top-seeded Prairie Ridge. No. 2 Vernon Hills and No. 3 Crystal Lake Central meet in Wednesday’s semifinal.
Class 1A Serena sectional
Outlook: Christian Liberty has advanced to the sectional for the second straight season. Sophomore pitcher Megan Sullivan (11-9), also a guard on the Chargers basketball team, earned the win while catcher Megan Krizanovic (2-for-2, 2 doubles) and Jess Moriarty (2-for-3, 2 runs) led the offense when the Chargers defeated Luther North 6-3 for the Luther North regional crown. The Chargers (11-12) will face Grant Park on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in the first semifinal. On Thursday, Somonauk and St. Scholastica Academy (closing at end of the school year) will square off. The championship is Saturday at 11 a.m.