Softball: Montini, Hampshire win at Marengo tourney
Friday's Marengo softball tournament game between Montini and Kaneland came down to a battle between a rookie and a seasoned player in the bottom of the seventh. With the game tied at 3, 1 out and the bases loaded, Montini's Nicole Cuchran, a returnee from last year's Class 3A state championship team, stepped into the batter's box to face Emilee Erickson, Kaneland's freshman left-hander.
Cuchran worked a full count from Erickson. The junior infielder then fouled off the next two pitches. Erickson's next offering was outside for the walk that forced in Tia Sondej with the winning run, giving the Broncos a 4-3 victory.
Erickson, who game on in relief of starter Alsyon Jesionowski in the fourth, cruised until the seventh inning. The southpaw retired 10 batters in a row, until Sondej reached first on squibbler down the third base line. Emily Alexander followed with a clean single to left. Erickson then loaded the bases when she plunked Alyssa Filkowski in the shoulder. Cuchran followed.
"(Erickson) is doing a great job for us this year. We are real happy with how she performed," said Kaneland coach Mike Kuefler. "She stood up there against Cuchran and she battled that kid for a full at-bat. She one of the toughest kids in the state at the plate."
"I wasn't looking for anything specific," Cuchran said. "I was looking for a ball to drive or just see what she would give me."
Cuchran didn't waste any time in her first plate appearance in the first inning. She drilled the first pitch she saw from Jesionowski over the left field fence for a solo home run.
The dinger got back one of the 2 runs the Knights scored in the first inning. Leadoff batter Morgan Weber singled, advance to second on a groundout and took third on the first of Lexi Abruzzo's three singles. Weber scored on a pass ball during Hannah Theobold's at-bat. After Theobold lined out, Hailey Roach singled to right, plating Abruzzo.
Montini (18-4) took a 3-2 lead on Filkowski's 2-run homer in the third.
Kaneland (16-9-1) put runners in scoring position in 6 of the 7 innings but each time Broncos starting pitcher Brianna Clifton wiggled out of the jam.
The Knights had their best chance in the fifth. Clifton gave up 3 singles in a row to start the inning. Roach, the fourth batter, hit a grounder back to Clifton, who threw to catcher Samantha Ferruzza to force Donnatella Sommesi at home. The backstop's peg to Naomi Alonzo at first was too late to put out Roach.
Maddy Wheatly, the next batter, also hit a grounder back to Clifton, who again threw home to force out Abruzzo. This time Ferruzza's throw to first was in time to compete the double play.
"Brianna is really doing a good job for us this year. We kind of stepped up our schedule a little bit and she had to make some big pitches. She made some great pitches for us today and some great defensive plays, too." said Montini coach Michael Bukovsky." She got us out of that inning with the ground out were we almost turned the double play and the next batter hit into a 1-2-3 double play. That was awesome."
Kaneland tied the game 3-3 in the top of six when Natalie Kraemer scored on Weber's groundout.
Hampshire 11, Marengo 7: The Whip-Purs (18-7) scored four runs in the sixth to break a 7-7 tie.
Delaney Rummell went 3-for-4 with 3 runs. Gwen Malecke (2-5, 2 RBI), Peyton De Chant (1-3, 3 runs), Sarah Bowen (2-4, HR, 5 RBI), Jasmine Lopez (2-3, 2 RBI) and Renee Malecke (2-3) all had big games for Hampshire.