Van Gennep, L-Way East overpower Barrington
EAST PEORIA - One year after giving up 10 hits in a 5-1 loss to Sandburg in the Class 4A semifinals, Lincoln-Way East pitcher Nikole Van Gennep was back in the same game at the Eastside Centre.
This time, the senior right-hander was a big hit.
Van Gennep fired a no-hitter to blank Barrington 11-0 in five innings as the Griffins advanced to the state championship for they first time since winning it all in 2002 (in Class AA).
"I was definitely more relaxed than last year because we had been here and my fielders were really excited about the game," said Van Gennep, who will pitch at Division II Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla. "They did a great job."
Van Gennep (25-3) made things a little easier on them, too, by striking out seven.
She faced just one over the minimum, the result of yielding a two-out walk to junior designated player Jamie Brown in the second inning.
"We knew she was very talented," said Barrington coach Perry Peterson, whose 32-7 team 32-7 will face Oak Park-River Forest (32-4) in Saturday's Class 4A third-place game at 11 a.m. "We couldn't produce like we had to. She was difficult for us to hit."
The Griffins had 14 hits, including a 4-for-4 effort by leadoff batter Ami Ill, who belted a one-out, 2-run homer over the right field fence.
Lincoln-Way East (30-4) will face Marist (35-4-2) for the championship at 11 a.m. Saturday (on an adjacent field to the one featuring Barrington and Oak Park-River Forest for the third-place game).
Lincoln-Way East defeated Marist 6-3 on April 14.
"They're great," said Griffins coach Elizabeth Pawlicki of Marist. "It's two great teams from the south side who have a lot of pride. We are looking forward to a great game."
Friday's game was a rematch of the Class AA 2007 quarterfinal when the Fillies edged Lincoln-Way East 2-1.
Two years earlier, coincidentally, the Fillies played in a state quarterfinal in which they won in nine innings while being no-hit through the first eight.
Van Gennep's gem on Friday came after the game had been delayed more than four hours due to rain. But the Griffins took things in stride.
"We knew what to expect," Van Gennep said. "That made it easier. We just came out and played our game."
Peterson played 16 girls in the contest, finishing with a freshman battery of pitcher Catherine MacMahon and catcher Abbey Jacobsen, who came in for starter Keenan Dolezal (31-7) and junior receiver Rachel Macdonald.
"When the game got out of hand (the Fillies were down 7-0 after four innings), I was trying to get experience for our kids in the state finals," said Peterson, who was making his eighth appearance in the state finals dating back to 1993. "I thought everyone did a great job when given the opportunity."
There were no errors in the game, and sophomore right fielder Rachel Krzysko came up with a defensive gem for Barrington. In the top of third, she raced over to the foul line to snag Nicole O'Donnell's quickly sinking liner, saving 2 runs.
"Plays like that make the state finals all that much more exciting," said Peterson, who also gave senior Kat Panos the opportunity to take the field for the first time all season.
Panos, the Fillies' starting center fielder as a junior, had been sidelined the entire season following her second ACL surgery last August.
She was replacing sophomore left fielder Haley Luczak, who was ill.
"It was a disappointing game for us," said Peterson after the 18th time he coached a state finals game. "But we'll give a better performance (Saturday)."
Pawlicki was impressed by the performance of Barrington.
"Barrington's a great team," she said. "Both pitchers were great. Their defense was great. They should be proud."