Schaumburg just holds off Conant
After a pair of 1-0 victories over Conant this season, the Schaumburg softball team figured to be in another tight battle with the Cougars in Thursday's Class 4A Elk Grove regional semifinal.
But who would have figured this score?
The Saxons jumped to an 8-0 lead after 4 innings and then held on for a 9-7 triumph.
No. 9 Schaumburg (24-10) will face top-seeded Elk Grove (31-4) for the championship on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Sophomore Alyssa Lancaster (3-for-4), who recorded a perfect game and 2-hitter the first two times against Conant, earned the win again with 5 strikeouts.
But this time, she pitched most of the game with a big cushion until the No. 8 Cougars erupted for 7 runs and all 6 of their hits in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The Saxons scored 3 runs in the first on an RBI groundout by Becca Thompson, a RBI single to left center by Brianne Lingl and when Aly Poehlmann reached on an error.
They added 2 in the second on Poehlmann's bloop single to right which brought home Lancaster and Shannon Giovannone.
And they got 3 more in the fourth when Lancaster, Thompson and Nicole Chase all doubled. Lingl had RBI single and Chase a 2-run double to left center.
The Cougars, being no hit through four innings, started the bottom of the fifth with three consecutive singles by pitcher Briana Cavin (13-11), Hilary O'Donnell and Miranda Cavin followed by a sacrifice bunt by Amanda VanJacobs.
Lauren Wozniak and Vicki McGuire followed with RBI singles. Lauren Ambrose was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Allie Bauch had a 2-run double over the right fielder's head cutting the deficit to 8-7.
"It was crazy," said Chase, who was 2-for-3. "So nerve-racking. I can't believe they got 7 runs that inning. It's not that we did anything wrong. They just kept hitting."
"I'm not surprised they hit," Lancaster (21-10) said. "That's going to happen. I'm just glad we pulled it out at the end."
Lancaster said she was ecstatic about the 8-0 cushion.
"It felt great to get those runs early," she said. "We just have to keep believing in ourselves."
Schaumburg added an insurance run in top of the seventh when Giovannone scored on an error.
"Conant fought really hard to come back," Chase added. "They are a really good team. We might have underestimated them when we got ahead 8-0."
"The bottom line is that we had to play catch-up," said Conant coach CathyAnn Smith. "We got our bats going. Our kids didn't give up. "
Lingl, Chase, and Theresa McGreevy each had 2 hits for the Saxons. Alexis Carravetta had a pair of key sacrifice bunts.
Prospect 3, Deerfield 2: Sophomore Hanna Lythberg (6-8) threw a 4-hitter with 4 strikeouts as Prospect (14-18) advanced to the title game of the Fremd regional and will meet the host and top-seeded Vikings (28-4) at 11 a.m. Saturday for the title.
The Knights scored twice in the fourth, when Allison Malewig led off with a single. Pinch runner Haley Skala went to third on Lythberg's double.
Nicole Naranjo's sacrifice fly to center brought home Skala to make it 1-0.
Cassie Poulos followed with a single before Nikki Surico singled to center to drive home courtesy runner Kim Boncvowski for the 2-0 lead.
The Knights made it 3-0 in the sixth when Naranjo led off with a double off the right center fence.
Pinch runner Sarah Scaccia went to third on Poulos' single and then scooted home on a stolen base.
"Allison Malewig (3-for-4) and Amanda Mlikan were our driving forces," said Prospect coach Brenda Martin. "They showed their senior leadership Amanda hit the ball real hard and made a great defensive play."