Homeward-bound Montini savors regional title

It was an especially happy homecoming for the Montini softball team.

Not only did Friday's 12-1 victory over Wheaton Academy give the Broncos the Class 3A IMSA regional title, it also sent them home to play in their own sectional.

Montini (28-5), which set a school record for wins in a season with the victory, is the top seed of its own sectional and takes on fifth-seeded Kaneland on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. in semifinal play. Kaneland beat Lemont 3-0 in the Lemont regional final Friday.

"It's a good thing, the comfort of our own field," said Montini catcher Alyssa Sclafani, who went 3-for-3 along with designated player Ashley Lentine.

The Broncos earned their third straight regional title by jumping out ahead quickly and never looking back.

Montini racked up 5 runs on 7 hits in the bottom of the first. Emily Lezcano's 2-run double and RBI base hits from Nicole Cuchran, Sclafani and Lentine sparked the Montini effort. The Broncos didn't let up in the second, going ahead 8-0. A walk, some effective Broncos baserunning and an RBI infield hit from Lentine drove that inning.

Sclafani's third hit of the afternoon scored leadoff hitter Bell Alexander, who had walked, to make it 9-0 in the fifth.

"We had scouted Wheaton Academy three times. They are an excellent program, well-coached and give them a lot of credit," said Montini coach Mike Bukovsky. "We did a nice job. We were fortunate to get up early and take the wind out of their sails."

The eighth-seeded Warriors (14-14) started the game with leadoff hitter Madison Ebeling connecting on a single to center. Then winning pitcher Lauren Trojnar and the Montini defense sent the Wheaton lineup down in order three of the next four innings. Trojnar finished with 4 strikeouts in the 5-inning game.

All of Wheaton's big highlights came in the fourth when it broke the shutout. Ebeling came through again with a double to the center field fence. Meghan Gagliano immediately followed with a single to score Ebeling.The Broncos responded with 3 runs in their half of the fourth thanks to a 2-run double from Alexander and an RBI double from Amy Bukovsky and then held the Warriors in check in the fifth to end the game.

Wheaton coach Norbert Pivaronas said it was important for the Warriors to jump out early against Montini if they were to have a chance.

"It was crucial for us. We're a young team and it was important to get ahead," he said.

While the Broncos are still in the present, the outlook for the Warriors in 2016 looks solid as this spring's roster had 5 freshmen on it, including pitcher Courtney Kinnane.

"Courtney is really becoming an effective No. 1 pitcher for us," Pivaronas said. "We gained a lot of experience from today and we'll carry it into next season.

"I think our confidence level is crucial. We have the talent. It's just a matter of gaining experience and that's why it was so important to play a game against a team like Montini."

Mike Bukovsky said the Montini sectional is balanced and that the Broncos will continue to face challenges.

"Going in there were five or six teams in the sectional that are on the same even keel that I thought we could beat. But there were several teams that could beat us," he said.

But for now, it was all about celebrating a regional title with taking pictures after the game and holding the regional title plaque.

"We're very excited. We've been waiting this for a long time," said sophomore Naomi Alonzo of returning home for the sectional.