Carmel 3, Stevenson 2
Meg Grady's rocket throw from the infield was headed toward the outfield fence and had enough steam to possibly make it to Libertyville.
Michelle Winegard not only saved her teammate an error, but might have saved Carmel Catholic from suffering its second heart-breaking loss in a row at home.
"Game-saver," Corsairs coach Jason Raymond. "It's the play of the game."
On a day when Carmel and Stevenson made a combined 8 errors, it was Winegard's defensive gem that helped the Corsairs hold on for a 3-2 win in a nonconference softball game in Mundelein on Friday.
Stevenson (8-6) tied the score at 2-2 in the top of the sixth on Allison Micucci's booming RBI double, only to see Carmel answer with an unearned run off Micucci in the bottom of the inning. The Patriots then threatened again in the seventh.
Claire Kirchner opened the inning with her second hit of the game. Traci Africk then hit a slow grounder to Grady at first base. The sophomore touched the bag, then threw late and wildly to second base in attempt to retire pinch runner Megan Felz.
The ball sailed into left-center, but a heads-up Winegard, Carmel's center fielder, was backing up the play. She lunged to her right and stabbed the ball, preventing it from rolling to the fence and keeping Felz at second.
"She would have scored if it had gone past," Winegard said.
Said Raymond: "We talk about staying in the game and not getting caught watching, and she didn't.
"Grady threw a fastball out there," he added with a laugh. "I mean, she rifled that thing."
Corsairs pitcher Rachel Tack retired the next two batters on a groundball and popup to end the game.
Claire Anastos had led off the Carmel sixth with a single. She raced all the way around the bases when Stevenson threw the ball away a couple of times on Caitlin Hendricks' sacrifice bunt.
Carmel, which was coming off a nine-inning, East Suburban Catholic Conference loss to Benet on Wednesday, improved to 3-4.
"We needed this win," Winegard said. "We're starting to get it together. We've come a long way since our first game."
Carmel got an RBI groundout from Grady in the first and a run-scoring single from Kelly Gerli in the third, and took that 2-0 lead into the fifth. Kelly Cook (2-for-3) scored both runs for Carmel.
Stevenson broke through in the fifth after Kirchner led off with a double.
Annelise Docel (2-for-3) started the Stevenson second with a double. Her courtesy runner, Jamie Finkle, raced to third on a groundout.
Rebekah Ozga then popped up. The ball popped in and out of a Carmel infielder's glove and skipped all the way to the backstop.
Patriots coach Larry Friedrichs held Finkle at third, however. Tack got the second out when shortstop Cook speared a line drive. Tack then fanned the next hitter for 1 of her 5 strikeouts.
"I never thought (the ball) was going to get that far," said Friedrichs, taking blame for Finkle not scoring. "We had (one) out so I didn't want to run out of something. But in retrospect it would have been a better thing to send her."