Mazur helps Lancers to 30th win

While at the University of Iowa where she will play softball, Missy Mazur plans to become a physician's assistant.

soft

For now she is giving major assistance to Lake Park, which recorded its fourth straight 30-win season Saturday by posting a 3-1 victory over Schaumburg in the championship game of the Class 4A Rolling Meadows regional.

Mazur (21-4) not only fired 3-hitter with 9 strikeouts to catcher Alexis Monaco, she also had a single to center for the Lancers' final run in a 3-run third inning.

Just before Mazur's RBI, sophomore Carly Willert drove in pair of runs with a one-out single to left.

Those 3 runs were all the hard-throwing Mazur would need.

"Everyone is equal in the state playoffs," said Mazur, after Lake Park notched its 11th regional crown in school history. "You've got to be ready for every team."

Mazur struck out 10 in an 8-1 win at Schaumburg just eight days earlier.

Now the No. 2 seed Lancers (30-4) will return to the Saxons' field for the Schaumburg sectional semifinal at 4:30 p.m. Thursday against No. 6 Glenbard West, which defeated No. 3 Elk Grove 2-0 in the Willowbrook regional final.

Willert then clubbed a ball toward the left-field line which Lingl ran down while falling on the grass. The freshman left fielder also had 2 of the Saxons' 3 hits.

Willert's hit in the third proved to be the game-winner.

"I knew if we could get something started offensively, we could take it from there," said Willert, who bats in the No. 2 spot. "Missy (Mazur) gets so tough with the lead. Schaumburg fought hard. We didn't beat them like we did the first time. But we played good defense and got good pitching from Missy."

Coach Cray Allen brought Willert up to the varsity as a freshman.

"So she's been here in postseason play," said Allen, who has guided the Lancers to regional titles in all four years he has directed the program. "She is one who I didn't think would have nerves for a game like this.

"She's a great athlete. I think she's one of the best sophomores in the state. As a junior and senior, the sky's the limit."

Jamie Pomahac, Alyssa Robinson and Kaitlyn Tunzi also had hits for Lake Park.

Tunzi started the big third inning with an infield hit and Lynsey Ciezki reached on an infield error, setting up Willert's big at-bat.

-- John Leusch

Montini 2, Nazareth 1: Lara Mangialardi (9-2) struck out 13, leading the Broncos to the championship of the Class 3A Nazareth regional in LaGrange Park. Montini (14-12) scored both its runs in the sixth. Jenna Mahoney singled, stole second and scored on Jessica Smith's triple. Jenna Scudder's groundout scored Smith.

Glenbard South 10, Chicago Agricultural Science 0: Jill Trzaska (17-2) struck out 10 in a five-inning no-hitter at the Class 3A Glenbard South regional. Jenny Wittenberg had 2 hits and drove in 2 runs for the Raiders (25-6).

Fenton 33, Chicago Juarez 0: The Bison (23-14) erupted for 25 runs in the second inning to claim the school's first regional championship in Bensenville. Mia Sansone went 5-for-5, scored 5 runs and drove in 5. Sam Rubright went 4-for-4 with a homer and 5 RBI.

Plainfield Central 2, Benet 0: Brittany Adcox fired a four-hit shutout to lead the top-seeded Wildcats past Benet (21-15) at the Class 4A Hinsdale Central regional.

Baseball

St. Charles North 8, Lake Park 3:ŒAt the beginning of the season, Mike Budka wasn't even a member of the varsity team.

In the first week of postseason play, however, Budka has quickly become Mr. Clutch.

For the second consecutive game, the sophomore late-season call-up came through with the game-winning basehit as his 2-run fifth-inning single helped lift St. Charles North (23-11) to an 8-3 triumph over Lake Park during Saturday's Class 4A regional championship in Elk Grove.

"It's a great feeling," said Budka, who lined a 3-2 pitch to right field with 2 outs in the fifth as the North Stars turned a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 lead. "It's the second game in a row where I was just trying to hit it anywhere and be protective."

After hitting .510 on the sophomore team, Budka was brought up to the varsity squad a couple weeks before the end of the regular season.

"He was hitting the ball like crazy at the sophomore level all year long," said North Stars coach Todd Genke. "He attacks the ball -- it doesn't matter what the count is -- and he usually hits a line drive somewhere."

Third-seeded St. Charles North, which will face No. 2 Wheaton North in Thursday's Larkin sectional semifinals, grabbed a 1-0 lead with an unearned run in the second inning.

But the sixth-seeded Lancers countered with 3 runs of their own in the third, all coming on a bizarre play with the bases loaded and 2 outs.

Matt Kennedy hit a groundball to the right side of the infield and reached on a throwing error.

As the ball continued to roll along the backstop, 2 runs scored as North Stars catcher Matt Stevens retrieved it and, with nobody covering home, Brian Norwood raced home with the inning's third run.

"It was just a tough play, an in-between type of play," Genke said.

"We caught a break getting the three runs but we just couldn't make it hold up," said Lancers coach Dan Colucci.

Lake Park finished its season at 20-16.

"The guys were able to get me my 200th (win) the other day," Colucci said. "That was a special thing for these guys. But 201 (wins) would have been a little nicer."

-- Craig Brueske

Benet 4, WW South 1:ŒBryan Roberts (9-1) struck out 14, walked none and scattered 5 hits to lead the Redwings (23-13) to the Class 4A Benet regional championship. Mike Vanchieri's 2-run double in the fourth inning provided Benet all the runs it needed. Mike Olp's sixth-inning RBI single tallied the lone run by the Tigers (14-17).

Benet advances to play Lockport in Thursday's Neuqua Valley sectional semifinals.

Glenbard South 1, Montini 0:ŒAndy Manson (5-5) tossed a 5-hitter as the Raiders (21-14) claimed the Class 3A Glenbard South regional title -- the program's first regional crown since 1974.

Joe Biagini went 2-for-3 with a double for Glenbard South, which will play Guerin in Thursday's Nazareth sectional semifinals. Tom DiCristina went 3-for-3 for Montini (18-8).

Wheaton Academy 5, Nazareth Academy 2:ŒThe ninth-seeded Warriors (16-13) stunned the top-seeded host school to win the Class 3A Nazareth regional title. Winning pitcher Eric Albaugh (4-0) struck out nine and went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI.

Wheaton Academy will play Riverside-Brookfield in Wednesday's Nazareth sectional semifinals.