Hubbard’s heroics lift Fremd past Lake Zurich
Jim Weaver saw it coming. Megan Hubbard, a proven power hitter, was about to find her power stroke.
Against another Megan — Lake Zurich’s Megan Mattera — a power pitcher.
“I said to the coaches I thought she was going to have a big day (Wednesday),” said Weaver, Fremd’s head softball coach. “I was a day off.”
Hubbard’s first homer of the season came Thursday at Lake Zurich. Her opposite-field shot to right not only cleared the fence but sailed over the varsity baseball fence behind it.
Hubbard’s blast leading off the second inning was all sophomore pitcher Ashlynne Schwantz needed, as she pitched a 1-hit shutout in Fremd’s 6-0, nonconference win over the Bears.
“I thought Ashlynne Schwantz pitched lights out,” Weaver said. “She located well, she mixed well, she executed the game plan and executed her pitches.”
Fremd, which was coming off a 9-9 tie with Glenbrook North on Wednesday, improved to 7-0-1. Lake Zurich, which lost to Fremd in the Buffalo Grove sectional final last spring, fell to 5-3.
“Ever since sectionals we wanted to play them again,” Mattera said. “But what can you do?”
“Nothing went right for us today — defensively, offensively. Nothing,” said Lake Zurich coach Michaela Towne, whose team committed 2 errors. “And I have no explanation for it.”
Hubbard’s homer started the scoring. She hit 6 home runs as a sophomore last season on the Vikings’ Class 4A state runner-up team.
“I’ve been working a lot on just getting more direct to the ball,” Hubbard said. “Mr. Weaver has been helping me with that a lot. I saw the ball and it hit the sweet part of my bat. It felt really good.”
An RBI double by sophomore Kristine Herdegen, the Vikings’ ninth-place hitter, had the visitors up 2-0 in the second. Caitlin Patenaude made it 3-0 with a two-out RBI single in the third.
Sara Untiedt’s double leading off the Fremd fourth started a two-run rally, which included pinch-hitter Janelle Schneider’s RBI fielder’s choice.
Fremd’s Nos. 7, 8 and 9 hitters — Patenaude, Untiedt and Herdegen — went a combined 5-for-10. Patenaude was 3-for-4 with singles to center, right and left, respectively.
“We feel strong 1-9,” Weaver said. “We don’t feel like we have an easy out in our lineup. We expect those kids to go up there and contribute offensively.”
Schwantz (3-0) struck out four and didn’t walk a batter. She had a no-hitter going until slapper Kelly Neises reached on a perfectly placed looper over the head of third baseman Brittany Ciura with two out in the bottom of the sixth.
“She’s done a fabulous job,” Hubbard said of Schwantz. “She’s showed a lot of composure for being only a sophomore. She has a great future ahead of her.”
Mattera’s future is Division I softball, but the Miami (Ohio) recruit walked five and allowed 8 hits.
Fremd’s Megan Horn touched Mattera for an RBI single in the sixth, finishing the scoring.
“Just couldn’t find the corners,” said Mattera, who struck out five and allowed 5 earned runs.
Schwantz was unfazed after Neises’ infield single, as she retired the final four hitters she faced.
“She definitely did a good job,” Towne said. “But we just got to find a way to hit the pitch that’s given to us and hit it for a line drive. We hit way too many pop-ups today. That doesn’t put any pressure on the defense.”