Mundelein drops pair

When the wind howled just right, it felt like "2-0" below.

When the count reached 2-0, Kayla Mahoney provided some mo' -- and an extra breeze.

Elk Grove's veteran hitter took a hearty swing and slugged a momentum-changing grand slam over the center-field fence at the Fields of Dreams. Her homer highlighted the Grenadiers' 11-1 win over Mundelein in the first of each team's two games in sunny-but-chilly Barrington on Saturday.

"It's been colder," said Mahoney, claiming Saturday was warmer than when Elk Grove opened its season the previous week with a 6-2 win over the host school at Fenton.

When Mahoney stepped into the batter's box against Mustangs starter Leslie Harshey in the bottom of the third inning, the Grenadiers were up 2-0 thanks to back-to-back errors. Jamie Campus, Brittany Tranchita and Amanda Mertes (2-for-2) had started the rally with singles, loading the bases with one out.

"I got up to my favorite count -- 2-0 -- so I was ready to hit the ball," Mahoney said. "I made adjustments. I moved up in the box, and I was just confident that I was going to hit the ball. I just knew that there were runners on and I wanted to get them in."

She did by ripping Harshey's next pitch, a thigh-high fastball, over the fence to make it a 6-0 game. It was the fourth homer in Mahoney's three-year varsity career and first grand slam.

She said she prefers hitting with a 2-0 count even more than a 3-0 count.

"Because 3-0 you're kind of supposed to take the pitch," Mahoney said. "You got to be more careful on 3-0. You know on 2-0 that the pitcher won't want to get up to 3-0 so (she's) going to want to pitch a strike."

Nikki Goranson followed Mahoney's blast with a single. Two batters later, Campus doubled home courtesy runner Kristy Ottosen with her second hit of the inning, capping a 7-run frame.

Goranson smoked an RBI double in the fourth and ended the game in the sixth with a two-out, run-scoring single, making it a 10-run margin.

Goranson finished 3-for-4 -- after going 3-for-3 in the Grenadiers' season opener against Fenton. She also got off to a fast start last season, she said.

"It's just confidence, really," Goranson said, "knowing that I can hit hard, if I want to."

Elk Grove sophomore Stephanie Maday pitched a 6-inning complete game, striking out nine, walking one and allowing 3 hits.

Maday had a no-hitter until Kaitlin Yoder belted an opposite-field homer down the right-field line with two out in the fourth.

Carla Wilson and Ashley Castro had the only other hits for Mundelein in its season opener.

Barrington 3, Mundelein 1: Often, Michal Jane Maropis is called M.J.

Saturday, you could call her the first-inning kid.

Three hours after she belted a 3-run homer in Barrington's first at-bat against Stevenson, Maropis clubbed the big early hit to stake the Fillies to the lead in their second game against Mundelein in the Fillies quad.

The senior shortstop ripped a triple down the right-field line scoring Colleen Shandley and Lisa Shandley with one out in the first inning.

The 2 runs proved all senior Kim Cygan needed for her second victory of the day, this time 3-1.

Cygan went threw a 2-hitter, retiring 17 of the last 18 batters she faced.

"M.J. was huge today with her hitting," said Cygan, who has all five of Barrington's wins this spring.

"Michal Jane is just a fantastic player," said Barrington coach Perry Peterson. "She understands the game so well. She is someone we can count on."

Senior Leslie Harshey led off the game for Mundelein with a single to right-center and later came home to score when Kaitlin Yoder reached on a fielder's choice.

The only other hit off Cygan was a single by Michelle Mitchum in the second inning.

Junior Kim Krause went all 7 innings for Mundelein, giving up 1 run and 3 hits in the final 6 innings.

"Kim Krause did a great job," said Mundelein coach Ted Juske. "What impressed me the most was that she didn't tire out at all. Her dad (Ken) keeps her in quality condition.

"Overall, I was really pleased. This was the first time we were on an infield. We had a couple of errors this game and we have to hit better."

Top hitters for the Fillies were Colleen Shandley and Lisa Shandley who each had 2 hits.

Wapotish's sacrifice fly to left brought home Colleen Shandley in the sixth for the Fillies' 3-1 lead.

Cygan finished strong, allowing the only baserunner in the final five innings on a dropped third strike.

"Kim threw two game and wasn't even tired," Wapotish said. "She could have kept pitching. This (5-0) has been a perfect start to what we hope is great season. Hopefully, all the way into June."

-- John Leusch