Elk Grove bounces back
After suffering back-to-back losses following 15 straight wins, the Elk Grove softball players had a talk in the field house after Monday’s loss to visiting Hoffman Estates.
“Actually it was a real hard loss for us,” said senior Kristen Cetkovic. “We had a long talk and discussed the things we needed to do. We have to back up our pitcher because she can’t do it all the time for us. We’ve got to get her runs.”
Cetkovic got a big run for Grens ace Dani Goranson (15-3) on Tuesday — the first run.
Cetkovic’s fifth homer of the season to lead off the second inning would give Elk Grove a lead it never surrendered in a 4-2 Mid-Suburban League crossover triumph over a surging Palatine team that had won 11 of its last 12.
“We knew they were good,” Cetkovic said. “We have not been hitting as well as we should. So we knew we had to step up.”
“That was an important one,” said Elk Grove coach Ken Grams of Cetkovic’s blast on a 1-0 pitch. “We needed something to get us going because that pitcher of theirs (senior lefthander Dani Boisvert) is a battler.”
The Grens (16-3, 7-1) went ahead 2-0 in the third when Goranson put down a nifty bunt with the bases loaded and sophomore Elisa Payne (2-for-3) slid safely under the tag at home.
But Boisvert (13-3) escaped further damage when catcher Alyx Ballenger threw out a runner trying to steal, followed by a groundout to second baseman Katie Scovic.
“I thought our defense kept us in the game,” said Pirates coach Jeff Manz, who also received a superb diving catch in left field by sophomore Megan Hedstrom, who then got up and threw to second base to double up the runner in the sixth inning. “We got out of some big jams. When we made it 2-1, that gave us a lot of confidence.”
The Pirates (15-4, 4-2) cut the lead to 2-1 when Ballenger opened the fourth inning with a double to right and scored on Sam Salomone’s single to right.
Joanne Jablonski then reached on an error and after a wild pitch, the Pirates had runners on second and third with no outs.
However, Goranson showed why she is one of the state’s top hurlers by getting back-to-back strikeouts and a popout to third baseman Katie Keegan.
The Grens got Goranson a couple of insurance runs in the fifth when Payne led off with a single and scored on Goranson’s bases-loaded groundout to first. Jessica Balzano (3-for-3) then slid home safely when Megan Keegan grounded back to the mound.
Palatine added its final run in the top of the sixth when Scovic doubled to shallow left to bring home Joanna Jablonski.
The Pirates still had runners on second and third but Goranson rose to the occasion again and got the 10th and final strikeout of her 4-hitter.
“We played competitively against one of the top teams around,” Manz said. “You’ve got to be perfect when facing a pitcher like her (Goranson). But we’ve got something to build on now for the rest of the week.”
MSL East leader Elk Grove comes back today with a showdown at Fremd (18-1-1, 7-1), currently tied for first in the West with Conant.