Articles filed under Softball

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  Carmel’s Bitter baffles Mundelein’s hitters May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  The battle ware or "smear," as Carmel Catholic pitcher Nicole Bitter calls the black face makeup that she and her softball teammates often rub on, is meant for intimidation purposes. "For this game," Bitter said of Saturday's Class 4A Carmel regional final against Mundelein, "everyone was like, We need to be as a team. We're all going to do it.' " They didn't need it. Bitter was sweet, painting the black with her pitches, and line-drive-hitting freshman Jenny Behan was equally impressive against the third-seeded Mustangs. Bitter's 1-hitter and Behan's 3 hits, including her eighth home run, lifted Carmel to a 2-0 win, its first regional championship since 2008 and a spot in Wednesday's Cary-Grove sectional semifinal against McHenry.
  

   

• Jacobs, Kirker surprise Cary-Grove May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  It seemed appropriate Katie Kirker's finest moment would come in a regional championship game. Retiring the first 15 batters she faced, Kirker, who has been plagued by injuries her entire high school career, twirled a masterful 1-hit shutout as second-seeded Jacobs upset top-seeded Cary-Grove 1-0 in the Class 4A Huntley regional final Saturday. It is the Golden Eagles' third straight regional title.
  

   
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  Kirker’s story truly one to admire May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  Jacobs softball coach Jeremy Bauer rarely shows emotion on the field. It takes a special moment or performance for Bauer to really open up a little. Golden Eagles' senior Katie Kirker gave her coach, her teammates, her family and Jacobs fans just that Saturday at Huntley, when she 1-hit Cary-Grove to lead the Eagles to a 1-0 regional championship win.
  

   

• Maine West rolls to regional title May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  One season. One regional crown. Those are the numbers for Maine West rookie softball coach Amy Gonzales who watched her first Warriors team post a 13-3 victory in six innings over No. 6 Niles North in the championship game of the Niles North regional championship.
  

   

• Burke, Bartlett stymie Glenbard West May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  As a pitcher, it's always nice to have a go-to pitch, and it's even nicer when that go to pitch is almost untouchable. Bartlett senior Tori Burke used her riseball to her advantage as she struck out 13 Glenbard West hitters Saturday in Bartlett's 2-0 win in the championship game of the Class 4A Bartlett regional.
  

   

• Elk Grove meets Schaumburg’s challenge May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  Two bullets, a dominant pitching performance and a vacuum cleaner at second base helped Elk Grove capture a regional softball championship Saturday afternoon. The bullets were line-drive homers off the bat of Krista Soesbe in the first inning and Devan Parkison in the second. Soesbe's 3-run job erased a 2-run deficit and Parkison's padded the lead just enough for Dani Goranson to settle down and deliver the dominant pitching for which she has become known. As for the vacuum cleaner, that was second baseman Becca Maher. She handled four straight chances from the fifth inning into the sixth, including a diving stop that might have ignited a Schaumburg rally in the sixth and preserved a 6-2 Class 4A regional title win at Elk Grove. The Grenaders (28-8) will meet Fremd in a Barrington sectional semifinal Thursday.
  

   

• Burlington C. downs DeKalb in wild one May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  Few words can be used to describe Saturday's Class 3A Burlington Central regional softball championship game between the host Rockets and DeKalb. Central blew a 7-0 lead after two innings, trailed by six after the top of the fifth, led by five going into the seventh and hung on to beat the Barbs, 19-18, to win its first regional title since 2009.
  

   

• Waubonsie Valley bats silent at wrong time May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  Waubonsie Valley's softball team was shut out just one time during the regular season. No. 2 came at an inopportune time. Plainfield Central lefty Morgan Vogt limited the No. 5 seed Warriors to 4 hits, and a four-run fourth inning broke open the No. 4 Wildcats' 7-0 win in Saturday's Class 4A Metea Valley regional championship.
  

   

• McHenry makes it out of Warren regional May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  A one-and-done candidate considering it opened the state tournament with Zion-Benton, McHenry's softball team relies on a one-play-at-a-time approach. At Warren on Saturday, one swing from freshman Kristin Koepke got the young Warriors rolling, and when the Class 4A regional final was over, a 1 seed was done. Behind Koepke's pitching and a 15-hit attack, which also included long home runs by Koepke and power-hitting catcher Mikaela Mitsch, No. 3 McHenry stunned top-seeded Warren 6-1 Saturday.
  

   

• Kaneland rallies for 1st title in 7 years May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  McKinzie Mangers admitted her at-bat with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning was not what she hoped to accomplish.
  

   

• Leyden hangs on against Trinity May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  Jen Hall's base hit in the bottom of the eighth inning scored April Markowski with the winning run as pitcher Morgan Maize and No. 2-seeded Leyden edged No. 10 Trinity 7-6 in the championship game of the Morton regional.
  

   
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  Krzysko, Fillies survive Prospect in 8 May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  Barrington's all-time home run leader Loren Krzysko was 0-for-3 as she led off the bottom of the eighth inning in Saturday's tense Class 4A Rolling Meadows regional softball championship game against Prospect. "I couldn't go 0-for-4," said the junior third baseman. "I knew I had to swing at anything good." Sure enough, Krzysko swung the game into the Fillies' favor when she doubled sharply down the left field line. Moments later, Krzysko advanced to third on catcher Savonnah's Osmanski's single to left and then scored on a wild pitch to Raegan Fingerman, giving the Fillies a 2-1 triumph over the No. 11 seeded Knights (11-26). The No. 4 Fillies (30-7) will now be swinging their bats in their own sectional next Wednesday, facing No. 1 Conant (32-3) in the 4:30 p.m. semifinal.
  

   

• Glenbard N. overcomes St. Charles North’s fast startMay 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  St. Charles North had a plan of attack going into its Class 4A regional championship game against top-seeded Glenbard North and its ace, Lilly Fecho — attack early. It worked in the first innings as the first four batters had hits and the 10th-seeded North Stars jumped out to a 3-0 lead.
  

   

• No early exit for Conant this year May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  Last year Conant's softball team checked out of the postseason early, falling to Leyden in the regional championship game. This year, the Cougars are looking for an extended stay and they took a step forward on Saturday. Conant senior pitcher Briana Cavin held Hersey's bats in check while leading the Cougars to an 8-1 victory in the Hoffman Estates Class 4A regional title game. Top-seeded Conant (32-3) won its fourth overall regional title and first since 2005 in advancing to Wednesday's Barrington Class 4A sectional semifinal at 4:30 p.m. against No. 4 Barrington (30-7).
  

   

• Fremd dominates South Elgin May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  Fremd senior Megan Hubbard may qualify for the understatement of the year. "I've been hitting pretty well lately," said Hubbard, with a straight face. Already the Vikings' career home run leader, Hubbard set the school's single-season mark Saturday with a 3-run bomb to center field in the third inning of Fremd's 14-0 five-inning with over South Elgin in the championship game of the Class 4A Fremd softball regional.
  

   
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  Prairie Ridge tops VH in a wild one at Wauconda May 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  Kirsten Stevens' complete-game effort and long 3-run homer lifted top-seeded Prairie Ridge to a wild, 8-7 win over the No. 2 seed, Vernon Hills, in Class 3A regional championship play Friday at Wauconda.
  

   

• Bandits add postgame fireworks to June 9 game May 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  The Chicago Bandits will feature a postgame fireworks show following the June 9 home game against the USSSA Pride.
  

   

• Lisle cruises into sectional final May 24, 2012 12:00 AM
  Lisle appeared on the verge of blowing its playoff game open from the first inning Thursday in Genoa. Eventually the Lions did. Lisle scored 4 runs in the top of the fifth inning, and breezed from there to a 10-4 win over Mt. Assisi in a Class 2A Genoa-Kingston sectional semifinal.
  

   
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  Mundelein’s Hemmer hammers away May 24, 2012 12:00 AM
  Rounding first base hard had become the norm for Alex Hemmer, but this time Mundelein's softball slugger stood on the bag. Then like all good base runners, she looked at her coach for instructions. She saw Mustangs head coach Brett Wilhelm flashing numbers. "My coach kept throwing numbers at me and I had no idea what he was trying to tell me," Hemmer said with a laugh. "I was like, OK, I'm just going to keep hitting.' " Wilhelm wasn't giving Hemmer the steal sign, however, nor trying to tell her how many outs there were. "I was showing (assistant) coach (Pete) Nadler how many RBIs she had. I'm like, I think it's 7,' " Wilhelm said. "You could hear them all talking in the dugout." True. Hemmer's 2-run single in the third followed her 2-RBI base hit in the second and her 3-run homer in the first. She belted a solo shot in the fifth, finishing 4-for-4 with 2 homers and 8 RBI, as third-seeded Mundelein pounded No. 2 Libertyville 15-0 in five innings in a semifinal of the Class 4A Carmel regional Wednesday.
  

   

• Thursday’s softball scoreboard May 24, 2012 12:00 AM
  High school results from Thursday's varsity girls softballl games, as reported to the Daily Herald.