Softball: Sweet-swinging Topolinski helps Warren advance

For Warren, Carissa Topolinski's walk-off hit matched her personality.

"She's just got the sweetest personality," Blue Devils softball coach Jenna Charbonneau said of her sophomore third baseman. "She's as sweet as sugar. She's always smiling, always laughing."

Warren's latest extra-inning victory over Libertyville was particularly sweet. The bubbly Topolinski was all smiles after her bases-loaded single with none out in the bottom of the eighth inning gave top-seeded Warren a 2-1 win over No. 4 Libertyville in a semifinal of the Class 4A Warren sectional.

It was the third time this season the Blue Devils edged the Wildcats.

"It comes down to one pitch or one play," Libertyville catcher Sarah Hoyer said. "It's always close with Warren."

While Warren (28-2) advances to Saturday's 11 a.m. final against the winner of Wednesday's 4:30 p.m. game between No. 2 Palatine and No. 3 Carmel Catholic, Libertyville finishes 25-8.

Warren used a 5-run bottom of the sixth to beat visiting Libertyville 6-3 in the teams' first North Suburban Conference meeting, before the Blue Devils prevailed 2-1 in nine innings at Libertyville.

"I think we're right there (with Warren)," Libertyville coach Elissa Wisniewski said. "We play really good defense, and we pitch really well. We're missing that one, two-out hit that we need. We got (a clutch hit) in the first inning, but in a game against them 1 run probably isn't going to get it done."

Alyia Haddon (2-for-3) knocked in Sarah Bennett (2-for-4) with a one-out single off Warren ace Caitlyn Britton in the top of the first. But Libertyville stranded Haddon at third and a runner at second base in the third, sixth and seventh innings.

Britton led off the Warren fourth by hitting a long, towering flyball that hooked foul down the left-field line. Two pitches later, Wisniewski said her first-year ace Amanda Page "missed her spot" and Britton deposited the ball fair over the fence in left field.

Page, a 21-game winner in her first varsity season, made few mistakes. Ashlyn Kitter led off the Warren eighth with a line-drive double into the gap. After Becca Geiyer reached on a bunt hit to put runners on the corners, Libertyville intentionally walked Britton.

That brought up No. 5 hitter Topolinski, who's steadily moved up the batting order since the start of the season.

"I didn't think they were going to walk Caitlyn," Topolinski said. "But it was smart that they did."

Libertyville's strategy looked smart when Topolinski popped up Page's pitch into shallow right field. But it dropped in for a single, allowing Kitter to race home with the winning run.

"I didn't think I hit it that well, to be honest," said Topolinski, who had been 0-for-2 with a pair of lineouts and a walk. "But I had to do what was done because Lydia (Gratz) and Caitlyn did really well on the mound. We had awesome defense."

Gratz picked up the win in relief of Britton. Gratz did not face Libertyville during the regular season.

"Lydia's been pitching really well for us," Charbonneau said of the senior. "It's a good balance. Caitlyn's more low and away. Lydia has a really good riseball, and her off-speed's really good. It's beneficial when they haven't seen her before."

Page struck out seven in her 7-plus innings in the circle.

"Their pitcher is really good," Topolinski said. "She knows how to hit the corners really well."

Hoyer and starting center fielder Emily Hilldale were the only seniors for a Libertyville team whose 12-player roster featured eight varsity rookies.

"Definitely proud," Hoyer said. "We had a good season."