Schaumburg posts perfect MSL season
Schaumburg softball coach Ellen Abreu said everyone on her team was firing on all cylinders.
No one could argue that on Monday as Schaumburg's record-breaking season made some more history.
The Saxons celebrated their senior day by becoming the first team in program history to complete a perfect conference season.
With junior Paige Alt (15-0) tossing a 2-hitter and belting her 11th homer of the season, Schaumburg blanked Conant 7-0 to end the Mid-Suburban West season at 16-0.
The Saxons (25-1) will play for the MSL crown against East champion Elk Grove (26-7, 12-4) on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
Shortstop Shannon Felde, who was honored with fellow seniors Elaine Walker (catcher) and Roxanne Kakareka (right fielder) before the game, went 3-for-3 and had the key 2-run single in the Saxons' 4-run fifth inning that turned the tide.
Walker nearly missed her 22nd home run when her seventh-inning 2-run stand-up double hit inches below the top of the right-center field fence.
"I knew we were going to be good this season," Walker said. "But I didn't know we'd do this (undefeated in the one of the toughest divisions in the state). This has been awesome."
"No, I never thought about that (being undefeated)," Felde added. "We have so many really good teams in our conference. You've always got to come out and be ready to play. And we got to play for a great cause (cancer awareness fundraising game) so that was great about this game, too."
The Saxons' next game will be their first appearance in the MSL championship since 1996 and only third in history (1979 the other).
"Going undefeated in the West is a nice way to finish my senior year," said Kakareka, whose leadoff single sparked the 4-run sixth. "And now we get to go to the championship game with some momentum."
Alt never let the defending MSL champs (20-7, 11-5) pick up their momentum offensively. The Georgia Coastal recruit, only a junior, recorded 10 strikeouts, including three in the top of the seventh.
Senior first baseman Hailey Rothstein singled to center with two outs in the first and senior center fielder Elisa Ambrose had a base hit to left in the third for the only hits off Alt.
"Schaumburg did a great job," said Rothstein, who made nice stretch and catch of an infield throw for the second out of the fourth inning. "I'm happy for them. We knew this would be a really tough game.
"They capitalized on some things that we did wrong. And they have great hitters. We'll just have to go back and work things out. I know we will come back because when we put out minds to it, we can be very good."
Ambrose made a very good running catch in left center to rob Kakareka of a hit and save a run in the seventh inning.
Kaiden Jackson followed with a sacrifice bunt that got runners to second and third, setting up Walker's double.
"The wind was tough out there," Abreu said. "Pitching and defense did it again. Paige was hitting her spots and we had some good hitting."
In all, the Saxons had 9 hits, including one apiece from Sarah Schwind and Natalie Napier who scored the Saxons' first run on Kakareka's sacrifice fly to right in the second inning.
Now the Saxons will take their bats, which have slugged 57 homers after Alt's blast, to the title game.
"These girls have worked very hard," Abreu said. "They're a great group and get along very well. They are working toward the same cause. They are very driven athletes who play to win."