Softball/Fox Valley roundup
After spotting Marengo 4 runs in the top of the first inning Tuesday, Burlington Central softball coach Cray Allen decided it was time to go to his ace.
Enter Kelsey Johnson, along with some booming bats, and the Rockets pulled off an early-season stunner, downing defending Big Northern East champ Marengo 14-4 on Rocket Hill.
“Kelsey is our most experienced pitcher and she came in and did a heck of a job today,” said Allen.
Bekah Harnish had a double and a triple for the Rockets (6-5, 1-0), while Audrey Djukic and Lauren King each doubled. Central also took advantage of three Marengo errors while playing a flawless defensive game itself.
Larkin 15, East Aurora 8: Lexi Smithberg (3 RBI), Megan Johnson (RBI), Maggie Hoffman (RBI) and Anna Esterino (2 RBI) each had 2 hits for Larkin (6-4, 1-2) in this Upstate Eight win. Kiernan Schock (4-3) struck out seven and allowed 7 hits in earning the win.
Elgin 4, Waubonsie Valley 2: Hannah Perryman (5-2) fired a 2-hitter and had 2 hits with a double as Elgin (11-4, 1-3) won its fifth straight in this Upstate Eight game. Perryman struck out seven and overcame 7 walks. Jen Fulton (2-for-3, 2B), Jaclyn Navarro (2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI) and Anna Eckholm (2-for-4) contributed to the Elgin offense.
St. Charles East 4, Bartlett 0: Alicia Salata took the loss for Bartlett (5-7, 1-3) in an Upstate Eight game in which the Hawks had 6 hits but couldn't push anything across the plate.
CL South 5, Dundee-Crown 2: Sam Golf (2-for-4) and Tianna Billuni each had triples for the Gators (8-2, 1-1) in this Fox Valley Conference Valley Division win. Liz Adams had a double for CL South and Hannah Mahoney had 2 hits and 2 RBI. Golf (4-0) was the winning pitcher, allowing just 2 hits with 9 strikeouts and 3 walks. Melany Love took the loss for Dundee-Crown.
Huntley 10, McHenry 9: Angela Tribuzio had a 2-run home run, Randi Peterson was 4-for-5 with a double, Ashley Laxner was 3-for-4 with an RBI and Ary Burgos had the game-winning hit in the bottom of the seventh inning as Huntley (4-7, 1-1) outlasted McHenry in the FVC Valley. Taylor Larson picked up the win for the Red Raiders.
Lake Park 6, Streamwood 2: Dani Fisher was 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Sabres (1-9, 0-3) in this Upstate Eight loss. Kelsey Johnson was the losing pitcher.
Richmond-Burton 3, Hampshire 2: Losing pitcher Jen Hurst was 3-for-3 with a triple and Tiffany Bentley had 2 hits but Hampshire (2-8, 0-1) fell just short in the Big Northern East. Hurst struck out 10 in the loss.
Rockford Christian 12, Westminster Christian 5: Katie Moeller had 3 hits including 2 triples and an RBI but the Warriors (3-4, 1-2) came up short in the Northeast Athletic Conference. Rachel Fugiel had 3 hits and 3 RBI and Hannah Graves added 2 hits for Westminster. Moeller was also the losing pitcher.
Slugfest pairings: Host Larkin will take on defending champion Plainfield Central in the first round of the Larkin Slugfest on April 23 at the Elgin Sports Complex. Other first-round games will have South Elgin playing Oak Lawn, Elgin taking on St. Edward and Chatham-Glenwood battling Burlington Central.
College softball
Judson sweeps: Hallie Niewold's single scored the winning run for a 4-3 win in Game 1, and Nicole Dimiceli and Emily England each hit home runs in a 6-3 win in Game 2 as Judson (23-11, 9-3) swept Robert Morris in CCAC play for the first time since 2002.
ECC splits: Oakton downed Elgin Community College 8-0 in Game 1 but the Spartans bounced back to win the nightcap 5-2. Layla Ismajlaj had 2 hits and 2 RBI and Ashley Scheffler a triple in Game 2 for the Spartans. Jennifer Jordan picked up the win.
John Radtke contributed to this report