South Elgin sweeps Huntley
The South Elgin softball team broke out some heavy aluminum to help heat up a cold day in Huntley Tuesday, and the strong arm of their junior right-hander in the circle didn’t hurt the warm feeling the Storm had when the day was over any either.
Senior center fielder and leadoff hitter Katelyn Stonecipher led the offense, going 6-for-9 with 6 runs scored, and junior righty Sam Bolin came on in relief to win Game 1 then spun a 1-hitter in Game 2 as the Storm swept Huntley, 12-9 and 7-1, in nonconference Spring Break week action.
“Those were a couple of nice ones,” said South Elgin coach Jason Schaal. “Sam pitched great today and getting Stoney on that much just helps everyone behind her. Our bats were alive today.”
Schaal sent freshman Taylor Rees to the circle in Game 1 but with the game tied at 9-9 in the fifth inning, he brought in the Storm’s ace, Bolin, to shut the door. She allowed just 2 hits and struck out four, and her teammates put 3 runs on the board in the top of the sixth to earn the win.
Bolin then came back with a strong effort in Game 2, striking out nine, walking one and allowing only a single up the middle by Huntley sophomore Randi Peterson in the fourth inning.
“I was positive and confident today,” said Bolin. “Everything was working.”
Bolin had complete command of the strike zone, changing speeds and hitting spots like she was in midseason form.
“My low and out changeup was killer today and the drop and curve were working real well,” she said. “I was able to keep their hitters off balance and that’s going to be a key, especially in our conference.”
Schaal knows that’s how Bolin will have to pitch if the Storm is going to compete for a championship in the Upstate Eight Valley Division this season. But he also wanted to see what Rees would do in game action.
“I wanted Taylor to see a good school to see how she does,” Schaal said. “We went to Sam in the fifth inning to get the win and it worked out for us. We’re such a young team. I want to get Taylor as many innings as I can.
“But Sam is starting to incorporate every aspect of being a good pitcher. She’s not going to come out and be Amanda Ciran on you,” he continued, referring to St. Charles North’s top pitcher. “Sam will work her locations and work in and out.”
In addition to Stonecipher going 3-for-5 with an RBI, the Storm got a 3-for-4 effort with a home run and 4 RBI from freshman Alyssa Buddle. Bolin also had 2 hits and drove in 3 runs for South Elgin.
Taylor Larson, who suffered the loss in the circle, was 3-for-5 with 6 RBI for the Red Raiders, while Tara Lycos was 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI and Peterson drove in a run.
In Game 2, South Elgin (2-1) scored 5 runs in the first two innings off Huntley freshman Ashley Laxner. Stonecipher was 3-for-4 in the game with 3 stolen bases, Shannon Conway had 3 hits including 2 doubles, and Bolin drove in 2 more runs. Junior Haylee Hansen finished up in the circle for Huntley (0-4). Brittany Koss drove in the Red Raiders’ only run in the fifth inning with a sacrifice fly.
“We’ve got some girls learning new positions and we’re still working on some chemistry issues,” said Huntley coach Mark Petryniec. “Taylor will work through this and I thought Haylee Hansen did a nice job at the end of the second game.
“It’s early in the season and this shows us what we need to work on. Hats off to (Bolin) today. She did a nice job of keeping us off balance and hitting her corners and locations.”