Saxons handle Larkin
If the first two games of the season are a barometer of any kind, Schaumburg junior right-hander Missy Anderson could turn some heads this spring.
After opening the season with a win over St. Viator on Thursday, Anderson came out on Friday and spun a 3-hitter as the Saxons made it a 2-0 start with a 3-1 win over Larkin in a nonconference softball game in Elgin.
Anderson struck out a career-high 12 batters and pitched out of three different jams to hold the Royals (2-3) at bay. She struck out Larkin's first six batters and got the first 9 outs of the game via the K.
"My screwball was definitely cutting the corner and catching batters off guard," said Anderson. "I definitely felt very confident (after the early strikeouts). It wasn't that they couldn't touch me but it was going to be very tough."
Anderson's counterpart, Larkin senior Sarah McCleary, pitched well enough, striking out 8 and allowing just 4 hits but a bout with wildness in the third and fifth innings cost her a shot at the win.
Schaumburg jumped on top in the third inning when Rachel Borgman led off with a double to the right-center field gap, went to third on Meghan Fielmann's slap single then scored when McCleary walked Caitlin Becker and Aly Poehlmann to force home Borgman with the game's first run.
Larkin came back to tie it in the bottom of the fourth. McCleary reached on an error, courtesy runner Leigh Wyatt was sacrificed to second by Sophie Sterricker, went to third on Victoria Nino's groundout and then scored on Regina Cozzone's single up the middle.
The Saxons put the game away with 2 runs in the top of the sixth. Poehlmann and Anderson each reached on fielder's choices and both later scored, one on a wild pitch and one on a passed ball.
"We got better as the game went on against a good pitcher," Larkin coach Larry Hight said. "(Anderson) is the best we've faced this year."
Schaumburg coach Erin Doyle was glad to see Anderson pitch out of a couple jams.
"Missy threw another great game," Doyle said. "We got into some pressure situations and the defense stepped up. We weren't hitting at all but our baserunning was great. We got into scoring position and capitalized on what was given to us."
Hight was also not totally discouraged with the loss, or with McCleary's performance.
"Sarah's still getting into shape with her pitches and her control," Hight said. "Other than that one inning I thought she pitched a good game. She's getting better every game and I was impressed with her today."