Goranson no-hits Fremd as Elk Grove prevails

What a game Dani Goranson picked for her first no-hitter.

The Elk Grove junior ace rose to the occasion against Mid-Suburban West power Fremd on Wednesday by striking out 13 in a 3-0 shutout over the host Vikings.

Missing a perfect game by one batter, the Michigan State recruit got the only run she needed in the first inning when Kristen Cetkovic singled home Jessica Balzano with two outs.

Senior Megan Keegan then made it a little easier for the hard-throwing right-hander by belting a towering home run over the left-field fence with Goranson on base following a leadoff single to center.

“Dani was magnificent,” said Elk Grove coach Ken Grams whose team is 17-3 and 8-1 in the MSL East. “I can’t think of any other word. She was just in control of things all the way. It might have been the best game she has ever thrown.”

“I think it was,” Goranson agreed. “I was throwing real hard and my changeup was semi-working.

“We were just so pumped out to play them. I remember how we were like that on the bus ride going to East Peoria last season to play them (in the Class 4A state semifinals). It was the same way this time.”

Fremd defeated Elk Grove 4-1 in the state semifinals last year.

“It was nice to avenge that loss,” Keegan said. “It’s nice to be back on top in the area.”

The cleanup-hitting Keegan is also on top in home runs for Elk Grove with 6, one ahead of Cetkovic’s 5.

“I wasn’t aiming for the fence,” she said. “I just wanted to make contact.”

Caitlin Patenaude made the best contact for Fremd when she belted a ball for an outfield error.

The only other Viking to hit the ball to the outfield was Megan Hubbard, who flew out to Keegan in right field.

“I’ve got to give Dani credit,” said Fremd coach Jim Weaver, whose club stands at 18-2-1 and 7-2. “We’ve been real hot with the bats but she shut us down. She can cover both sides of the plate, and changes speeds so well. She has more movement this year, too. Hopefully we’ll get to see her again down the road.”

Goranson ended up 2-for-2 against Fremd junior Rachel Doering (8-1) while the Grens had 1 hit apiece from Devan Parkison, Cetkovic and Becca Walz.

Doering struck out six in the first six innings and sophomore Ashlynne Schwantz recorded 1 strikeout when she came in to pitch the seventh.

“It was a good game,” Doering said. “We really enjoyed. Our hitting is right there. We were just a little short.”

Fremd sophomore catcher Kristine Herdegen made the defensive gem of the game with an all-out diving catch a high pop foul off the bat of Walz for the final out of the sixth inning.

That came three batters after Keegan’s home run.

“Rachel pitched great,” Weaver said. “That home run was a bad call by me, probably Rachel’s third-best pitch. I’ll take the blame on that at one.”

“That was a big big hit by Megan,” Grams said of the homer. “It took away all the goofy stuff that can happen like a strange bounce here or there or anything.”

Goranson made sure nothing would stop the Grenadier as she retired 14 straight batters after Patenaude reached on the outfield error.

“You couldn’t ask for anything more from Dani against a good-hitting team like Fremd,” Grams said.