Glenbard West singing after upset of Elk Grove
Tears and song can both be found in the aftermath of a regional title game in softball, with song streaming out of the winner's dugout and tears flowing in the loser's.
Saturday's Class 4A regional game at Addison Trail between No. 1 Elk Grove and No. 9 Glenbard West held true to form, and it was Glenbard West doing the singing.
The Hilltoppers knocked off Elk Grove 1-0, with the game's outcome riding on a shot over the fence in left-center field, a home run off the bat of Glenbard West catcher Ashley Steinhilber.
"If you throw her a changeup, she's going to be able to hit it because she keeps her hands back nicely and still swings hard through the ball," said Hilltoppers coach Mary McGrane. "Nobody deserves it more than Ashley."
"It's nice to see her come through in a big situation."
Glenbard West (22-14) and Elk Grove (32-4) met in a regional game last year, when the Hilltoppers also knocked off the higher-seeded Grenadiers.
"It feels great. I can't even explain it," said Glenbard West center fielder Jayme Hefler. "We have a young team, and it has come a long way."
Saturday's win was Glenbard West's seventh consecutive victory. A pitchers' duel ultimately pitted Glenbard West's Cassie Goggin and Taylor Steinhilber vs. Elk Grove's Stephanie Maday and Dani Goranson.
Hits were scarce both ways, and Steinhilber's homer was one of only two hits given up all day by Elk Grove's tandem.
The Grens nearly went up 1-0 in the second inning on a Stephanie Dolce double, but the relay from the outfield cut Maday down at the plate.
"All the credit goes to Glenbard West. They made the plays they had to make," said Elk Grove coach Ken Grams, whose team's 32-4 record was second best in school history to his 1982 team that went 33-2 and finished second in the Class AA state tournament.
Gram has to say goodbye to a solid core of seniors, including four-year varsity players Amanda Mertes, Caitlin Garrison, and Krystina Leazer. "It's the winningest senior group we've had," Grams said. "They had 118 wins."
"They've been wonderful kids. They're all terrific students, and they'll be successful no matter what they do. Kids like that are what keep you coaching."
Steinhilber ripped a line drive that Grens first baseman Dolce picked out of the air for the out in the fourth inning, and catcher Steinhilber picked a runner off first in the sixth before leading off the seventh with the game-winning home run, her eighth of the year.
Before Steinhilber strode to the plate, a handful of Glenbard West players had a gut feeling in the dugout.
"Rachel (Hitzeman) called it," Hefler said of the home run. "Ashley has a way of - once she hits the ball, you know it's gone."
"Coach always says that the higher-seeded team has all the pressure on them," Steinhilber said. "We just came out and played. We weren't that nervous."
Glenbard West plays No. 5 St. Charles North at 5 p.m. Wednesday in Roselle in a semifinal game of the Lake Park sectional.
"Elk Grove is a great team and (Grams) is a great coach," McGrane said. "As a second-year head coach, it's an honor to step on the field with him."