Softball: ICCP hits the road with big triumph over St. Francis
The IC Catholic Prep softball team is preparing to leave for a four-day spring break trip that begins Monday in Cocoa Beach, Fla. One of the things the Knights are packing is a 5-4 nonconference comeback victory over St. Francis on Thursday afternoon at Ruby Field in Melrose Park.
Rebecca Cash's double to center field with two out in the bottom of the seventh scored Josie Lytton with the winning run, pushing the Knights to 2-0 on the young season.
"I didn't hit great in the first game, but I felt better today," Cash, a freshman, said.
She tripled in the second inning for the first of her two hits on the afternoon.
IC hit four triples against the Spartans (0-1). Three of them belonged to Lytton. The senior said preseason preparation is always crucial.
"We've been hitting a lot together, hitting off the tee. We feed off each other," Lytton said.
Winning pitcher was Kayla Faber-Cournane. She pitched seven innings and struck out eight.
The Knights led 4-1 after six innings. St. Francis, though, did not go quietly, scoring three runs in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game.
Becca Imbrogno led off with a triple for the Spartans, her third hit of the contest. Kristina Sherwin's infield hit scored Imbrogno. Shelby Winkelman followed with an infield hit of her own, and Carlee Clark singled to left to score Sherwin. A groundout by Caroline Caesar brought home Winkelman for the final Spartans run.
"You could tell at the beginning of the game that we weren't ready or it was the first game of the season. We were not clicking, but we were better as the game went on," said St. Francis coach Ralph Remus.
St. Francis also begins a four-day spring break trip starting Monday in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Remus wants the Spartans to use the games there to work on two particular aspects of the their game.
"I want us to lock down our defense. We're making mental mistakes. It should be nice weather and the batters can get loose," he said.
The Knights built their 4-1 advantage on Kayla Cervantes' 2-run double in the second that scored Cash and Natalie Murillo. Lytton tripled in the third and touched the plate on a wild pitch. In the fifth Alessandra Eccardt led off with a single and scored on Murillo's basehit.
"I'm happy that we came back. We're young. Our infield has three sophomores and a freshman. We made some mistakes," said IC coach Frank Reaber.
The Knights will face teams from Minnesota, Ohio and West Virginia next week in Florida. Reaber said IC, like in previous trips, will face teams from bigger schools and Reaber said that will help prep the Knights for a tough conference season when they return.