Smith, Field help carry Green Wave to crown
Megan Smith has been after her dad, Glenn, to put up the family's backyard batting cage for a couple of weeks now. Mr. Smith finally did this past week, and Megan and her St. Edward softball teammates became the benefactor of it on Saturday.
Smith, the Green Wave's senior second baseman, had 2 triples, the second of which snapped a 1-1 tie, as St. Edward downed Driscoll 3-1 to win the Class 2A Driscoll regional championship.
The regional title is the Green Wave's second straight and fifth in program history. St. Edward (19-12) will take on Lisle (25-10) at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the Lisle sectional at Benedictine University.
"I have a tendency to drop my hands so I've been working on that with my dad and the team," said Smith. "We've just been working on hitting through the ball. I just stayed loose. I knew I could do it."
Smith hit through the ball twice very nicely on Saturday. She was left stranded at third base after her first triple with two outs in the third inning but her second one, a laser shot to right field, came on Breaunna Medinger's first pitch to her in the fifth and scored senior Madeline Foehringer, who led off the inning with a first-pitch single and went to second on Cara Wolf's sacrifice bunt. Junior Kristina Brockner followed Smith's triple with a single to center to make it 3-1.
"What a huge game for Megan Smith," said St. Edward coach Mike Rolando, whose team will be seeking its second straight sectional title. "What timely hits those were. We had our girls looking for a perfect pitch. We told them to be very selective but if the first pitch was there to drive it."
Speaking of huge games, the Green Wave also got one from junior ace Sarah Field. She allowed just 2 hits and, retired 13 of Driscoll's final 14 batters. After working out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the first, she allowed the Highlanders (10-21) only an unearned run in the third. That came when Lisa Matsie walked, went to third on Tarah McShane's single and scored when St. Edward failed to cover second base on McShane's ensuing steal attempt. Matsie scored to make it a 1-1 game but Field got Allie DiVito to ground out to Wolf at short to end the threat.
From there, Field allowed Driscoll only one more baserunner the rest of the way and her defense was flawless.
"The defense did so well today," Field said. "They really backed me up. My curveball was doing really well today. My changeup wasn't working but my curveball got it done."
St. Edward scored in the first inning when Kristi Knott led off with a single and went to third when Driscoll's outfield misplayed her hit. After Smith reached on a fielder's choice, Brockner drove Knott home with a groundout to short.
For Rolando and his coaching staff, all in their second year with the program, the regional title comes much the way last year's did.
"Last year we were coming off a 6-11 season so winning the regional was a surprise. Then we just kept surprising people. This team seems to be coming together at the same time. These girls feel they're all together now and that's what wins championships."
For Driscoll it was an emotional day, as the Highlanders' softball team was the school's last team standing in IHSA postseason team sport competition. With the school now closed, the athletic fields at the Addison school will be left vacant come this fall.
"It's a tough day," acknowledged Driscoll coach Frank Reaber. "Coming down to the last couple of innings the kids knew if we lost it was the end. They didn't give up though, and I'm proud of them. We knew (St. Edward) was no better than us. They just had the right things happen at the right time.
"It's been an emotional couple of months to keep them together mentally. With so much going on it's been hard to stay focused."
Medinger, a junior who allowed St. Edward just 5 hits, agreed.
"It's upsetting for us," said Medinger, who confirmed that she and teammate McShane will transfer to St. Edward. "It's the last time for us to be on this field together. We played our hearts out on our home field and that's what you want.
"The last couple of months have been very hard for all of us. It's been an emotional roller coaster. It's been hard to stay focused but we did our best."