Elk Grove grinds past Fremd for regional crown

Heading into the top of the seventh inning and holding a 3-run lead over Fremd, Elk Grove Hall of Fame softball coach Ken Grams exhorted his charges to add some insurance runs, even just a few.

Senior Brianna Leach obliged, and then some.

With the bases loaded and two outs, Leach slashed the first pitch she saw deep into the left-center field alley, clearing the bases with a triple and giving the Grenadiers an 11-4 lead.

It was plenty of cushion for Elk Grove to dispatch pesky Fremd 11-6 in a Class 4A regional final, and send the Grenadiers back into sectional play for the first time since 2012, when they finished fourth in the state finals.

The No. 6-seeded Grenadiers (28-9) meet No. 2 St. Charles North (27-5) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at in the semifinals of the Rolling Meadows sectional.

"This is just an unbelievable feeling - we worked so hard for this," said Leach, a senior, who went 4-for-5 with a run scored and 4 RBI. "We had a fall in the MSL championship, and we had a couple of games where we weren't sure how this whole playoff thing was going to go. But we came out so strong today."

Leach's big hit couldn't have come in a better situation.

With a run in, teammates Aleece Duffy, Abbey Sloan and Sabra Morton took their lead-offs from third, second and first base, respectively.

Leach then turned on the pitch and deposited it squarely between outfielders Abby Iuorio and Alyssa Garcia, scoring all 3 runners.

Good thing Leach stepped up.

Fremd managed to score a pair in its half of the seventh on a 2-run double by Lexi D'Ambrosio which got the Vikings to within 11-6.

But junior relief pitcher Anna Bonder got two fly outs to end the game.

"Normally, the first pitch is the best strike you're going to see," Leach said of her key at-bat. "So I just wanted to get the first strike I saw. I just really wanted to hit it to the green. I wanted to get a couple of runs in for the cushion. I know I have good bat control so I just wanted to get it out there. Just watching the third run come in, I knew we had the game."

Grams had a simple message for his charges as the game headed into the top of the seventh.

"When they came in, I said, I'm looking for a little cushion - get me one or two, for a momentum thing, and maybe get them (Fremd) to step back," Grams said. "We needed a little cushion, one or two, to let them know we're still playing."

The Grenadiers used the long ball early, getting a solo home run from Itzenthaler in the first and a 2-run blast by Sarah Pauscher (her 19th) in the third to retake a 3-2 lead.

Elk Grove added 3 runs in the fourth, including a double by Kylie Thomsen that drove in Mackenzie Flannery.

Leach then belted a run-scoring single that scored Morton and increased the Grens' lead to 6-2.

Fremd jumped back into the game in its half of the fourth, scoring 2 runs.

The Vikes loaded the bases but Elk grove got an unassisted double play by third baseman Pauscher on a hard smash by Alyssa Garcia.

A single by Julie Josten drove in Becca Uhrich. Julia Wacker singled to drive home Iuorio before Bonder recorded a strikeout to end the rally.

Bonder then gave up just 2 hits and no runs in the fifth and six innings, stranding a pair of runners.

That set up an interesting top of the seventh for Bonder, as she watched her team's runs crossing the plate.

"I was thinking I need to calm myself down and just relax and pitch like I know how to pitch," she said.

Fremd ended its season with a 27-10 record but coach Jim Weaver was pleased with his team's offensive approach despite stranding 10 runners.

That started with D'Ambrosio, who hit a solo home run in the second and went 2-for-3.

"In terms of the offensive side of the ball, I was really happy how we played," he said. "We left a lot of runners on, but it wasn't because we didn't hit the ball hard. We had the line out with the bases loaded for the double play, we had three of four line outs with two or three runners on. Those are atom balls, and if those drop, maybe the score is different. But we didn't play well enough to win and Elk Grove did. They hit the ball just as well as we did."

The Grenadiers have little time to celebrate the regional final win with St. Charles North looming. But win or lose, Grams has a simple philosophy.

"This is the best time of the year," Grams said. "I tell the girls, there's a lot of wonderful things - nice crowds, nice days, and by working at it you can experience some great feelings. That's what today was."