Local Varsity Softball players enjoy summer success
Mundelein stampede advance to 18A USSSA Softball Championship round undefeated! By Chaz Gezit.
it must be late in the summer, because the Mundelein
Stampede 18 and under girls softball team is advancing to the National championship round for the second straight year. Last summer the girls from Antioch high school , Carmel high school, and Mundelien high school won the 16U ASA northern national championship and this weekend the stampede are fighting hard to win another title against 56 other elite teams for Lake County softball. In pool action the Stampede went undefeated with two of the three victories being by the 10-run Slaughter rule.
In the first game of the tournament, Lake Zurich's Maggie Hilton went to 2 for 3 (scored twice) with a huge home run blast versus the USSSA state champions, the Topeka ice storm and a 6'2" Baker University pitching recruit, Olivia Biers. The stampede won 4-2 collecting hits from Antioch's 2-time All-State centerfielder Hannah Skoog, first baseman Maddie Hart, and utility star Jessica Tyrell; Mundelein's second baseman Amanda Diaz and All-Area standout Maria Divito. Player of the game was pitcher Nicole Parney struck out five batters and held the strong hitting Ice to two runs!
In game two, the Stampede bats came alive defeating the Lady Irish of Lee's Summit Missouri 11 to 1. Mia DiCara got the win for the Stampede giving up one run and earned four strikeouts in 3 innings while Ruby Mankus of Stevenson high school came in to get the save for the Stampede. Amanda Diaz stayed hot batting 2 for 4 with a double, and Mundelein's Brittany Woodyard and Karlee Busscher recorded key hits as did Antioch's All-State shortstop Jessica Pedersen, Skoog, Hart, and Hilton. Play of the game was a game-ending lunging catch by outfielder Bella Hoffman of Antioch High School.
In the final pool game the Stampede faced a feisty 18 Gold Wichita Impact team. With the score tied in the top of the third inning and two outs, Antioch's speedy Hannah Skoog ripped a ball in the left-field corner. Twelve seconds later, Skoog recorded a rare inside the park home-run sliding under a close play at home plate. Skoog with two for three with 4 RBI's, while Maria Divito went 3 for 3, and Amanda Diaz went 2 for 2. DiCara , Petersen, Tyrell and Hart also recording hits as the Stampede added eight runs in the fourth inning to slaughter the Impact 10 to 0. Nicole Parney again pitched a gem in the shutout with two strikeouts and the play of the game catching a difficult ball off the mound.
18U Stampede host open tryouts for Varsity softball players in Lake County this Saturday 9-11 am and Sunday 10-noon (open scrimmage). Any questions contact Coach Eddie Diaz at 773 255-6411.