Softball: Pauscher, Thomsen power Elk Grove past Resurrection

Longtime area softball fans will remember a period when Elk Grove's tradition-rich softball program was known for winning with small ball.

The Grenadiers on Tuesday won a game with one long ball.

Power-hitting senior third baseman Sarah Pauscher belted her first homer of the young season with two outs in the bottom of the first inning to lift the Grenadiers to a 1-0 victory over previously undefeated Resurrection.

Lifting the host Grens (4-0) on the mound was Kylie Thomsen (1-0) with the finest pitching effort of her career. The junior right-hander tossed a 1-hitter with a career-high 14 strikeouts.

A bloop single to left by freshman Christine Gatta with one out in the top of the fifth was the only hit for the Bandits (6-1) and broke up a perfect game.

"Sarah's homer so early in the game really helped," Thomsen said. "She is always so positive."

"It was exciting," said Pauscher, the only player in the game with 2 hits (2-for-3). "I'm just happy it won the game. It was a high rise ball. To be honest, I thought it was going to be foul."

Other than Pauscher's towering blast over the left field fence and her line drive single to left in the third inning, Elk Grove's only other safety was a two-out infield hit by Sabra Morton in the bottom of the second inning.

Bandits junior Summer Hasan threw a 3-hitter with 6 strikeouts.

Thomsen proved more than equal, striking out 10 of the previous 12 batters before Gatta's single.

"She's been pitching on the varsity for three years and I've never seen her throw a better full game than this," said Elk Grove coach Ken Grams. "Kylie has had good stretches of innings and bailed us out of tough situations but this was her best complete game. She got ahead on almost all the hitters. She looked very good - and thank goodness."

Thomsen came through with a shutout when the Grens' offense need it most.

"We were having trouble hitting the ball in the air," Grams said. "Her (Hasan's) ball was rising up a bit. She's a good pitcher."

Hasan got out of her biggest jam in the fourth.

First baseman Carly Crothers and shortstop Jessica Kearns started the inning by reaching on an outfield and infield error, respectively.

With runners on first and third an no outs, Hasan escaped with two strikeouts and a fly out to senior center fielder Amanda Urdiales.

"What impressed me the most was how the girls dug deep and got out of that inning," said Bandits coach Fred Angelini. "They stayed positive and worked out of it. Our pitcher did well. But we didn't put the bat on the ball well enough."

Thomsen, throwing to senior catcher Alex Masnica, made sure of that.

"I just try to throw strikes," said Thomsen, who mixed up fast balls with off speed and movement pitches. "Miss (Colleen Mullaney, assistant coach) is always on me, making sure I throw what I'm supposed to."

Thomsen was on her game Tuesday, even when she faced adversity.

The visitors were threatening with two runners on base and two out in the fifth. But Thomsen reached back and struck out the final batter.

"I just made sure to calm myself down, relax and trust all my pitches," she said.

"Kylie pitched real well and we needed her this game," said Pauscher, who belted a single-season school record 19 homers last spring.

Resurrection has some tough games in front this week against Fenwick and Providence New Lenox.

"It doesn't get an easier," Angelini said. "If we lose 1-0 to a good team like Elk Grove, then we can build from this. We're OK."