Elk Grove 8, Hersey 1

Elk Grove Hall of Fame softball coach Ken Grams saw Friday's game at Hersey similar to the one his team played against Prospect last week when the Grenadiers left 13 runners on base.

Elk Grove was out-hitting the host Huskies 8-1 in the fifth inning but the game was still scoreless.

"You wonder when you're going to break through," Grams said. "I've been around long enough to know you might not."

Not this time.

The Grenadiers punched in 2 runs in the fifth and 2 more in the sixth to post a 4-0 shutout behind sophomore Stephanie Maday's 2-hitter and 13 strikeouts.

With Prospect's 5-4 loss in 14 innings to Rolling Meadows, Elk Grove clinched its eighth Mid-Suburban League East crown in nine years and will play at Barrington or Fremd for next week's MSL title.

Elk Grove (26-4, 17-3) ended up with 15 hits to Hersey's four.

"Basically, it was good offense," said Amber Hane, one of two rotating junior catchers Grams uses in every inning. "We just had to get used to the pitching, and then we started hitting and scoring runs."

Nikki Goranson (2-for-4), the other catcher, and Hane (2-for-4) were two of the seven Grenadiers who had 2 hits in the contest.

Jessica Balzano (2-for-4), Kayla Mahoney (2-for-3), Jamie Campus (2-for-3) and Brittany Tranchita (2-for-4) were other Grens with 2 hits while Olivia Roback had one.

Hersey's only hits off Maday were a squibber in front of plate by freshman Kim Ferraro with one out in the first and a two-out infield single in the fifth by Mallory Donoghue.

"I'm so proud of our seniors (Donoghue, catcher Danielle Gore, Maggie Tunney Lynn Lazzeretti and Melanie Standish)," said Hersey coach Molly Freeman on Senior Day. "Mallory and Danielle have done so well as our battery. All the seniors have contributed so well. And they've helped bring pride to the Hersey softball program so I'm in debt to them."

Center fielder Lazzeretti, who hasn't played since an early season double-header against Stevenson when she dislocated her elbow, got a doctor's approval to play the outfield Friday.

She threw out a runner trying to score on Goranson's single in the fifth.

Dolce and Mahoney had RBI singles in the fifth while Balzano and Amanda Mertes had RBI in the sixth.

Rolling Meadows 5, Prospect 4 (14 innings): In the longest MSL game of the spring, Angela Mahanna's 2-run homer to left in the top of the 14th proved to be the game-winner.

Knights pitcher Sheri Weidner hit one in the bottom of the 14th before Mustangs ace Carissa Stewart (2-for-3) retired three of the next four batters for the win.

Meadows senior Caitlin Adair collected 9 putouts in center field and had one assist on a double play.

Mary Kate Ward's homer to left center tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the 13th.

Maddy Urban (5-for-7, 2 RBI), Maryclare Loughery (3-for-7), Bonnie Weglarz (3-for-7) and Mahanna (2-for-7) led Meadows (10-13, 7-8). Amy Varner, Emily Logar, Paige O'Neil and Ward had 2 hits apiece for Prospect (17-8, 10-5).

The win broke Meadows' (9-13, 7-8) eight-game losing streak against Prospect which dated to 2004, the year Tony Wolanski took over the Mustangs program.

Barrington 4, Schaumburg 1: Kim Cygan (2-for-4) and Kiersten Tinkoff (2-for-3, double, 1 run) led the offense for visiting Barrington (23-6, 13-2) while Cygan (22-6) earned the win with a 4-hitter and 6 strikeouts.

Freshman Brianne Lingl homered for the Saxons (10-11, 5-9) to break up the shutout in the sixth inning.

Buffalo Grove 7, Wheeling 1: K.C. Dunne (2-for-4, 2 runs, triple), Mallory Smith (2-for-4, 2 run, RBI), Andrea DiPrima (2-for-4, 2 runs, triple, RBI) and Katie Lee (2-for-3, triple, double, RBI) led the offense for Buffalo Grove (15-12, 7-8), which received a 7-hitter and 10 strikeouts from DiPrima.

Carly Speidel struck out 10 for Wheeling (6-17, 2-13) while teammate Annemarie Spiezia was 2-for-4.

Palatine 2, Hoffman 1: Caitlin Carpenter belted a two-out solo homer to right-center in the first and the visiting Pirates (15-7, 11-4) added an unearned run in the third on Joanne Jablonski's hard-hit grounder which brought home Amy Modic, who had walked.

Pirates junior Anne Wcislo (4 strikeouts) and Hoffman ace Kaitlin Walsh (10 strikeouts), also a junior, each threw 3-hitters.

Colleen Roberts scored the run for Hoffman (7-17-1, 4-11) in the sixth when she dashed home safely on a first-and-third double steal. Jenna Pellus had a double for Hoffman.

Fremd 7, Conant 0: Kristine Werling (3-for-4, RBI, 2 runs, 2 stolen bases), Lauren Zaworski (3-for-4, 2 RBI, run), Tess Dinterman (2-for-2, 2 runs, walk) and Jessica Tackett (double) led the offense for host Fremd (23-3), which received a 4-hitter and 12 strikeouts from Lena Brottman (17-2).

Paige Ward broke up Brottman's perfect game with a double to left with two out in the fifth inning. Georgia Kutramanes had the other hit for Conant (4-18, 1-14).

Leyden 11, Proviso East 1 (5 innings): Freshman Amanda Moran went 2-for-2 and was the winner for Leyden.