Softball: Lakes gets the jump on Grant in key NSC Prairie matchup

The celebratory hop, which might have just cleared the height of a base, wasn't Ally Perdue's best vertical jump.

"I hope not," Lakes' softball pitcher said with a laugh.

Perdue's li'l leap came after she triggered a game-ending, 1-2-3 double play, securing the visiting Eagles' 9-5 win over Grant in chilly Fox Lake on Saturday.

Grant had loaded the bases with one out and had the tying run at the plate.

"Actually, recently a lot of our games have ended like that," Perdue said. "We always have an exciting ending."

Truth be told, Lakes was thrilled about the win, which avenged an earlier-season loss (6-3 final score) and also delivered a crushing loss to the home team.

Grant (18-11, 7-3) entered the day on a seven-game winning streak and needing to win its remaining North Suburban Prairie games to have a chance at winning the division title outright. The best the Bulldogs can do now is earn a tie, but that would require beating Wauconda and ace Kayla Wedl on Monday and then Antioch. Wauconda would also have to lose to Vernon Hills.

"It was upsetting," Grant catcher Erin Bengston, who went 3-for-4 with a 2-run double, said of Saturday's loss. "But I think we'll come out Monday (at Wauconda), and I we can get that one. We'll play our hearts out, like we always do. I'm excited. I feel like those kind of teams really lift (our play) up."

By beating Round Lake on Saturday, Wauconda (9-1) clinched a share of the NSC Prairie for the third year in a row.

Lakes, meanwhile, captured its 20th win (8 losses). Grant, Lakes and Antioch are all 7-3 in the division. Lakes hosts Antioch on Monday and finishes up at home with Round Lake.

Grant spotted Lakes 5 unearned runs in the first inning and played catch-up the rest of the game. The Bulldogs committed 7 errors, as pitchers Hannah McCall (5-plus innings, 7 runs) and Sydney Goessele (2 innings, 2 runs) allowed only 2 earned runs combined.

"When you make 7 errors, it's difficult to do anything," Grant coach Chris Van Alstine said. "It doesn't matter how good your offense is or how well you pitch. ... We haven't played like that in a long time. It's a good example for us to see what we should not be doing."

Lakes' big first inning included RBI singles by Melanie Grupka (2-for-4), Georgia Ohren (1-for-3) and Abby Vanderwall (1-for-2). Karlie Rotunno (2-for-4) added an RBI double in the second and a run-scoring single in the fourth. Perdue (2-for-4) gave herself an insurance run in the seventh with an RBI double.

Lakes coach Bill Hamill liked his hitters' approaches, which included Jen Reed and Camryn Jones executing sacrifice bunts.

"We played small ball when we had to," Hamill said. "We hit the ball and ran the bases well."

The Eagles' effort, in short, was better than the first time against Grant.

"We played as individuals," Hamill said of the April 18 defeat. "We didn't hit the ball very well against either of their pitchers. We were trying to hit the heck out of the ball. This is about doing what you need to do as a team, not as an individual. If (the girls) play as a team, they're going to be tough."

Grant freshman leadoff hitter/center fielder Calista Warmowski went 3-for-4 with an RBI single and threw out a runner at home plate. Northern Iowa-bound Kenzi Sancken was 2-for-4 with a pair of run-scoring singles.

"Our start, the 5 runs in the first inning, put them down right away," Perdue said. "It was a great feeling."