Schwantz, Fremd tackle Palatine
The conditions were better suited for football.
Funny thing, though. The Fremd pitcher is the daughter of a former NFL Pro Bowler.
Sophomore Ashlynne Schwantz hardly flinched as the rain came down in the middle innings of the Vikings’ big game at Palatine.
The right-hander beared down in the chilly temperatures and produced one of her top performances of her young varsity career, stopping crosstown rival Palatine 5-2.
“It’s always fun to play against people you grew up playing with,” said Schwantz (7-1), whose father Jim starred at Fremd, Purdue and played in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers and Bears. “After the loss to Conant last week, I just tried to push myself to get back up to the standard where I was earlier in the season.”
The Vikings (14-1-1, 4-1) moved into a first-place tie in the Mid-Suburban West with Barrington and Conant while Palatine (11-3) is right behind at 3-1.
Schwantz recorded 5 strikeouts and no walks.
“Ashlynne pitched great,” said Vikings coach Jim Weaver. “And we didn’t help her much defensively. That’s a real tough lineup that Ashlynne faced.”
Pirates pitcher Dani Boisvert (9-2) also faced a tough Fremd lineup that saw No. 3 hitter Brittany Ciura belt her third homer of the season, a 3-run shot over the center-field fence that made it 5-0 in the top of the fifth.
“With two runners on base (Allie Gaeding and Stacey Hnytka), I was just thinking get a hit so we could get some runs home,” said the Vikings’ power-hitting junior third baseman. “Palatine is always a good team so we knew we had to be ready.”
The Pirates’ offense was ready at the start of the first and second innings.
Senior Katie Mnichowicz (2-for-3, 1 run) began the first with a double to left center while sophomore Lauren Logan did the same to start the second.
However, Schwantz was able get out of both mini jams without giving up a run.
“When we couldn’t do anything after getting doubles to start the first innings, I thought that changed the whole complexion of the game,” said Pirates coach Jeff Manz, whose club had won eight straight going into the contest. “And we made too many errors. You can’t make mistakes against the good teams. We just didn’t get the job done today.”
The Pirates outhit Fremd 10-6 but the Vikings did not strike out in the game.
Mandi Matsumoto, Megan Horn, Catlin Patenaude (double to left-center in the sixth), Sara Untiedt and catcher Janelle Schneider (1-for-1, walk, sacrifice) had the hits for Fremd.
Senior Sam Salomone went 2-for-4 for Palatine and was robbed of an RBI in the first inning on a nifty shoestring grab by Patenaude in left field. Catcher Alex Ballenger also had an RBI single for the hosts in their 2-run fifth inning.
“Palatine kept pushing,” Weaver said. “It would have been great if we could have picked up some extra runs there in the sixth inning (three hitters reached base) but you’ve got to execute.
“It was great to see Brittany get that home run. We hit the ball hard and kept the pressure on them. Finally, she (Ciura) got the big hit to break the game open.”