Wrap: Hilltoppers hitters come out swinging, pummel York
Without an outfield fence at the Glenbard West softball field, a ball could roll in the grass for days.
Good luck fencing in that Hilltoppers lineup, too.
The hard-hitting Hilltoppers banged out 15 hits in an 11-1, six-inning win over York on Friday in Glen Ellyn.
Glenbard West (15-4, 7-2 West Suburban Silver), was hitting .323 and scoring 7.4 runs per game coming in. The Hilltoppers batted around twice against York. Every player had a hit.
"This lineup is awesome. Even the bottom of the order gets hits for us," said junior shortstop and Notre Dame recruit Kathryn Lux, who drove in 3 runs. "When you get on base, you can count on someone getting you over and driving you in."
Glenbard West, which lost to York 6-3 earlier in the season in Elmhurst, came out swinging early.
The Hilltoppers scored 2 runs in the first inning and 4 more in the second, all coming with two outs. Melissa Rauch dropped a 2-run single over the York shortstop in the first, and Lux shot a 2-run single to left in the second.
"We've really been hitting the ball well with two outs lately," Lux said. "We don't let the pressure affect us."
York had several opportunities to get on the board go by the wayside. The Dukes (13-15, 4-6) loaded the bases in the third and sixth innings without scoring. They left 10 runners on base for the game.
"I actually thought we hit the ball harder than they did the first three innings," York coach Tom Babyar said, "but had nothing to show for it. We only scored one run. That's not going to get it done against this team."
Glenbard West, scoreless for three innings, erupted for 5 runs on 6 hits in the sixth. Jayme Hefler and Melissa Noland had line-drive triples in the gap in left, and Ashley Steinhilber added a booming 2-run, inside-the-park homer over the left fielder.
Rauch (1-0) notched the win in her second start of the season. She allowed a runner to reach in every inning but wiggled free, striking out three.
"Like any pitcher, she has to work the corners and change speeds," Glenbard West coach Mary McGrane said. "We have a solid defense behind her and gave her good run support."
Kristy Borneman went 2-for-3 with 2 walks and scored 2 runs for the Hilltoppers. York leadoff hitter Gina Knutson reached base all four times and drove in Kelly Sullivan for the lone Dukes run.
-- Joshua Welge
West Chicago 12, Wheaton North 1:ŒChrissie Rovtar cracked 2 home runs and drove in 6 runs, leading West Chicago past Wheaton North. Linnea Detrick and Alyson Taddeucci also went deep for the Wildcats (15-8, 8-3 DuPage Valley Conference). Mary Connolly struck out 10.
Naperville Central 6, Wheaton Warrenville South 2: Holly Lind went 2-for-3 with a double and 2 runs batted in, and the Redhawks (16-5, 8-3 DVC) kept pace with West Chicago atop the DVC. The two teams play today in West Chicago.
Megan Silke, Katie Bradley and Erin Graham also had 2 hits and Natalie Wunderlich (14-4) struck out four.
Glenbard South 6, DeKalb 0: Jill Trzaska (13-1) struck out 14 in a 1-hitter for the Raiders (19-5, 11-0 Western Sun Conference).
Baseball
Montini 5, Glenbard East 4:ŒThe Broncos (13-6) won the battle of Lombard, scoring 2 in the bottom of the seventh inning after the Rams had taken a 1-run lead in the top of the inning.
St. Francis 5, Marian Central 3:ŒZack Clark (2-1) earned the win on the mound for the Spartans (10-12-1, 2-9) against the Suburban Catholic Conference champion. Michaelangelo Consiglio went 2-for-4 with 3 RBI.
Neuqua Valley 3, Minooka 2:ŒGeoff Rowan went 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored for the Wildcats.
Glenbard West 1, Downers Grove North 0:ŒThe Hilltoppers (12-12, 6-9 West Suburban Silver) scored the game's only run in the bottom of the third inning.
Girls track
Class A Lisle sectional:ŒTimothy Christian and Lisle may not have had enough to prevent Walther Lutheran from winning Friday's Class A girls track sectional in Lisle, but that's not to say the Lions and Trojans did not turn in plenty of strong efforts.
The Trojans, second to Walther Lutheran's 138 points with a score of 111, qualified for state in three relays and three individual races, while host Lisle moves on after strong showings in two relays and two individual races at Benedictine University.
Timothy Christian was paced by hurdler Lindsay VanderBrug and sprinter Shannon McNeil. VanderBrug won both hurdle events and teamed with McNeil, Krista Lodewyk and Kristen Caruso to help knock off top-seeded Walther Lutheran in the 400 relay with a time of 51.64 that held off the defending state champs' time of 51.77.
"I'm real excited," VanderBrug said. "I came in kind of expecting to go down (state) in both hurdles, but the 4x100 … that race we had our best handoffs all year. I think we can do pretty well."
She won't get any arguments from McNeil, who ran a solid open 100 to defeat Walther Lutheran's Jazzmyn Harvey 13.09 to 13.36. McNeil also added fourth-place finishes in the 200 and in the high jump.
"I was real excited, as you could probably tell when I finished," a smiling McNeil said. "I don't think we expected to win both of those races (against Walther Lutheran). They won state last year and it's good to know we're faster than them."
For Lisle junior Dorothy Lau punched her ticket downstate by turning in a discus throw of 91 feet, 5 inches on her final chance of the night. After a pair of subpar tosses in the finals, she knew she had to unleash a strong throw to leapfrog a few competitors and earn a trip to next weekend's state finals in Charleston.
After throwing 89 in the prelims to earn the second seed, Lau had an 83 and a scratch after the first two of her three chances in the finals, which left her in the fifth spot.
"If I didn't throw 86 or higher I knew I was not going downstate," she said. "My heart was racing and I was so nervous. It was scary, but I enjoyed doing it."
Lau will be joined at state by Amy Carrabine, who was second to VanderBrug in the 300 hurdles with a time of 51.91, as well as the Lions' 800 relay and 400 relay.
Chicago Christian took third in the team standings at 85 points, followed in order by Westmont, Lisle and Aurora Christian.
For Aurora Christian, runners Ann Schuette and Anna Morgan paced the way. Schuette took first in the 3,200 with a time of 11:56.95, finished third in the 1,600, and even filled in at the last moment on the team's 1,600 relay team. Morgan, meanwhile, placed second to Chicago Christian all-stater Jodi Hoekstra in both the 800 and the 1,600.
Morgan, eighth in Class A last year in the 1,600 and sixth in the 800, was running the 1,600 for the first time this spring. She credited Schuette for setting the pace in the race and had hoped that the two could each somehow qualify for state in the event.
"My teammate set the pace and I wish we could have held hands across the finish line (and each advanced)," she said. "I've been blessed with the best coaches and it's definitely fun being around this competition."
Schuette was exhausted after running both distance races and then capping the night by helping Aurora Christian place fifth in the 1,600 relay. But after two injury-plagued seasons of track, she's looking forward to capping her career in style next weekend.
"This is nice to have me healthy for my senior year," said Schuette, fourth in the state in cross country as a junior. "I was just happy to have the ability to run. I was very excited to win the 3,200."
Training by herself early in the morning while recovering from stress fractures and landing the lead role in a school play has kept Schuette quite busy. Now she'll get one more chance to shine in track next weekend.
-- Stan Goff
Boys track
Western Sun Conference meet:ŒMove over Rocky. You too, 1980 U.S. hockey team and Jim Valvano's 1983 N.C. State Wolfpack.
You've got company among the great sports upsets.
Meet the 2008 Geneva boys track and field team.
A stretch to put the Vikings with that company? Just watch their reaction to the meet-closing, come-from-behind win in the 1,600 relay and you'll see a celebration that rivals any of the ones above.
Anchor Jeff Foster found himself in a swarm of nearly every member of the Geneva team after he crossed the finish line, having overtaken Batavia on the final leg of the relay to seal the Vikings' first conference championship in at least 20 years.
"We all ran really hard," said Foster, after the last of his teammates had been peeled off him. "We wanted to come out and beat anyone. It's definitely nice to beat (Batavia), though."
Geneva won with 155.5 points to Batavia's 132.5. Kaneland took third at 86 followed by Sycamore (82) and Glenbard South (55).
The Vikings entered the meet 26-point underdogs based on the seeds, according to Geneva coach Gale Gross.
"Batavia was a very formidable challenge," said Gross, who thought Geneva's last conference title might have come in the mid or late 1980s. "I told the kids we are the underdogs and I like it because we come in and the pressure is off. It was incredible. Every single kid came with all his heart."
Gross could point to individual heroes up and down the Vikings lineup, from Joe Augustine to Andrew Nelson to Frank Boenzi to Storm Obuchowski and many others.
But what he liked even more was how the individuals came together as a team.
"I try to push them very hard in the team aspect and they showed it tonight," Gross said.
Batavia coach Dennis Piron was just as impressed with the Bulldogs' fight. Piron thought the meet swung on the brilliance of Nelson, who won the 800 and 1,600 and handed off to Foster to close out Geneva's win in the 1,600 relay.
"It was back and forth, it was an awful lot of fun," Piron said. "There were a couple turning points. I think the key was Nelson doubling back in the mile."
Another turning point came in the 200. Geneva's Augustine won by the slimmest of margins, 22.55 to Batavia's Bai Kabba's 22.56, with Geneva's John Wilger third at 22.65.
Augustine also nipped Kabba in the 400, 49.56 to 49.85. Kabba finished second in three events and anchored Batavia's winning 400 relay to score 34 points for the Bulldogs.
"I loved the way our kids competed," Piron said. "The kids just battled."
Obuchowski took second to Nelson in the 1,600, while Batavia's Brad Wloszczynski finished behind Nelson in the 800.
"Conditions were great," Nelson said. "I came out ready to run today and it turned out well."
Geneva won both the 3,200 and 1,600 relays, while Batavia took both of the shorter relays. Sophomore John Yelle ran the third leg on Geneva's winning 3,200, joined by Chris Higgins, Drew Hickey and Obuchowski. Higgins, Foster, Nelson and Jay Graffagna ran on the winning 1,600.
"The first lap I tried to relax and the second lap I tried to give whatever I had left," Yelle said.
Geneva got a big lift from the field events with titles from Boenzi in the shot put and Augustine in the high jump. The two finished second in the discus and triple jump, respectively.
Batavia countered with a win from Javaris Covington in the high jump. The senior set his career high with a 6-5 jump, giving Batavia a boost at the start of the meet. He finished third in conference at 6-2 a year ago.
"I was looking forward to winning this year," Covington said. "It was cloudy at first, but when the sun broke it is going to be all marvelous. And the sun broke out, it was like, 'Yes, It's going to be a perfect day.' "
Kaneland had a pair of winners: Logan Markuson going 13-3 to take the pole vault and Phil Christensen's 173-6 to win the discus.
A week ago Christensen broke the Kane County meet record at 184-11.
"I am pretty happy to have an off day and still throwing 173," said Christensen, who also placed third in the shot.
With only four seniors on a roster of 80-plus athletes, defending Western Sun champion Glenbard South knew it was an impossible task to repeat.
Coach Andy Preuss was pleased with the Raiders' fifth-place showing.
"Terrific," Preuss said. "We went in with just a handful of upperclassmen. We graduated a ton. We knew Geneva and Batavia would be awfully tough up there. I thought it was a great meet. As a track fan I thought it was fun to watch."
Glenbard South's Mike Oratowski swept the hurdles titles. He won the 110 in 15.33, with teammate Luke Zanoni third. The two also went 1-3 in the 300.
"They did an awesome job," Preuss said. "It's tough graduating what we graduated. These guys, they knew that going in, but they've been great leaders for the young kids, and the young kids had an awesome meet tonight."
-- John Lemon