Softball: D'Ambrosio, Fremd come out swinging

While most of her Fremd teammates were at practice on Saturday, Lexi D'Ambrosio was busy with ACT testing.

But the Vikings sophomore catcher made sure she didn't skip a day working on her softball game.

D'Ambrosio found time to head downstairs once she got home from the exam.

"I went to the basement to work on my hitting," she said. "Just things like extending the bat, and trying not to pop out."

D'Ambrosio had plenty of pop in her bat on Monday.

She went 3-for-3 with a career-high 5 RBI, missing the cycle by a triple, as the Vikings opened Mid-Suburban League play with an 11-1, five-inning victory over visiting Buffalo Grove.

D'Ambrosio's first homer of the season was a 2-run blast over the left-center field fence with one out in the bottom of he fourth making the score 9-0 and giving her 5 RBI.

"She's (D'Ambrosio) been playing real well," said Fremd coach Jim Weaver. "She is a grinder."

Offense isn't the only part of D'Ambrosio's game.

She picked a runner off second base with a perfect strike to shortstop Reagan Schneider, who made the tag for the second out for the first out of the fifth inning.

"She's fantastic," Weaver added. "She's probably the best defensive catcher we've had here in a long time."

"I love that," D'Ambrosio said of attempting pickoff plays. "I had to block the ball in the dirt and then get up and throw it. It's exciting."

Fremd (5-0) kept its fans excited with 10 hits and solid combined pitching from sophomores Nikki Kehoe (5-0) and Jessica Mazur. Kehoe struck out four in the first 3 innings and Mazur had one strikeout in the final two innings.

The right-handers had plenty of support from the offense, which received 2 hits from Regan Schneider (double, RBI) and one apiece from Abby Iuorio (3 walks, RBI), Mazur, Straup (RBI 2 runs), Becca Uhrich (double, RBI walk) and freshman pinch hitter Jordyn Iannuzzelli (RBI).

"We were building up for this (conference opener) and it felt great to play," said Fremd senior and Butler-bound center fielder Alyssa Garcia, who scored one of the Vikes' 6 runs in the first inning after reaching on an error. "We are super excited for conference this season."

"We were really excited to get started in conference," D'Ambrosio added. "Especially after having some games canceled because of the weather. It was nice to start out this game with nice warm weather."

The Bison (2-4) threatened in the second inning after one out.

Freshman Bailey Williams was hit by a pitch and junior Grace Gran drew a walk. But Kehoe escaped with a groundout to Schneider and a strikeout.

Junior Katie Fontanetta (2-for-3) got the visitors' first hit with a one-out infield single in the third inning.

The Bison's other hits were a sharp single to left to lead off the fourth by senior catcher Emily Carnes, a bunt by Fontanetta in the fifth and sophomore Olivia Morini's infield single in the fifth.

Morini eventually scored the BG's only run on a wild pitch.

"Emily hit the ball well all three times," said BG first-year coach Starr Dorsey.

"As a team, we've just to be more aggressive at the plate. We are thinking a little too much. We've got to stop guessing and attack the ball.

"Fremd is a good team. They play hard. They've got good pitching and put the ball in play. From one through nine in the lineup, they hit the ball well."

Weaver would like to see that same hitting when the Vikes visit Carmel today.

"I was happy with our at-bats," said Weaver, who notched career win No. 375 in 15 seasons. "We gave away a few things in a couple of innings but for the most part we did a great job controlling the game."