Softball: Arrambide, St. Charles East take care of Lake Park

One might think a freshman pitcher would be a little nervous in her first high school regional softball championship game.

And while St. Charles East right-hander Katie Arrambide said she had some butterflies heading into Saturday's Class 4A title game at Schaumburg, she sure didn't show it.

Arrambide allowed just 4 hits and struck out 12 while the top-seeded Saints took advantage of nearly every opportunity No. 8 seed Lake Park gave them to win 10-2 and advance to next week's Fremd sectional.

SCE (25-6), winners of three straight regionals and five in the last six years, will take on rival St. Charles North at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in Palatine.

"I was nervous," said Arrambide, a mere 15 years old. "I've gotten better at not showing it but I always feel it. Today was one of my better days."

And one of the Saints' better days.

After a scoreless three innings, SCE broke through with 5 runs in the fourth off Lake Park junior Natalie Grubczak, sending 10 batters to the plate in the frame.

With one out, Paige Ligocki and Lauren Luna drew back-to-back walks. After Grubczak got a strikeout for the second out, Saints senior Hanna Cozzi singled to center field to plate courtesy runner Alena Macri with the first run. After a walk to Arrambide, Lake Park made an error on Krista Sbarra's routine grounder allowing pinch runner Brooke Byas and Cozzi to score to make it 3-0. A walk to leadoff hitter Alex Wooten set up a 2-run single from senior Sara Campagna and suddenly Arrambide had a 5-0 lead to work with.

And the way she was pitching that's all the runs the Saints needed.

"Walks and errors against a team that's a No. 1 seed, you're going to give up some runs," said Lake Park coach Tom Mazzie, whose team finished the season 15-19. "Super kudos to their pitcher. She just dealt all day and you get deflated with the five runs scoring. It's tough but hats off to (the Saints). They're a great team."

"She was locked in and that's the way she's been this year," said SCE coach Jarod Gutesha of his freshman ace. "She just enjoys it and has fun with her teammates. It's a testament to her how she plays so relaxed."

As Grubczak continued to struggle finding the strike zone, SCE added 2 runs in the fifth to make it 7-0. Ligocki walked again, Luna singled and after a fly out, Cozzi drew a walk to load the bases. Arrambide then singled in a run but after a strikeout, Wooten was hit by a pitch to send home Luna with the Saints' seventh run.

"Our approach was not to chase things not in the zone," Gutesha said. " (Grubczak) is a hard thrower but we didn't help her and that was the key."

Lake Park was able to break up the shutout in the top of the sixth when Alyssa Sturino led off with a single and, with two outs, Grubczak launched a long home run to left field.

But it was too little too late for the Lancers. SCE added its final runs in the bottom of the inning as four more walks paved the way for Maddie Candre to score on Maddy Stout's RBI double, Macri to come home on a wild pitch and then Stout to score on a bases-loaded walk.

Now the Saints turn their attention to Tuesday and a sectional semifinal against their longtime rivals. SCE won both Upstate Eight River games this season, 1-0 and 10-2.

"Any game at this point of the year is a big game," said Gutesha. "You just try to do what you do and not get wrapped up in what they're doing. We'll come out relaxed and enjoy ourselves."

Even Arrambide, in all her youth, didn't appear overly jacked up about playing the North Stars again while she savored her first regional championship.

"It's really exciting," she said about Saturday's win. "You can't imagine how it's going to be until it happens and it's exciting. (Tuesday) will be another exciting game that we'll look forward to."