Conant vs. Elk Grove: A pitched battle

Elk Grove has been to the Mid-Suburban League softball championship game 17 times under Hall of Fame coach Ken Grams.

Conant had been there once under retired Hall of Fame coach Barb Bostian in 1974.

But when Conant (25-2, 14-2) and Elk Grove (27-3, 15-1) meet for today’s 37th edition of the MSL championship at 4:30 p.m., the girls won’t be thinking about the past.

Both powerhouse lineups will be thinking about how they can muster runs off two of the state’s most efficient pitchers, who are in their junior campaigns and have already committed to Division I colleges.

Elk Grove junior Dani Goranson, a Michigan State recruit, is 24-3 with 195 strikeouts and a 1.11 ERA in 141 innings.

Conant ace and Wisconsin-Green Bay recruit Briana Cavin checks in with a school-record 20-2 mark, 1.23 ERA and 159 strikeouts in 127 innings.

When the two teams faced off in Elk Grove on April 11, the Grens (26-3, 15-1) won 6-2.

“Both teams are playing well,” said Grams. who has 740 wins in 31 seasons along with a second- and third-place finish in the IHSA state tourney. “We’re both on good runs and have two pitchers who have had outstanding seasons and getting similar offensive support.”

Conant has a school-record 25 wins and its only losses are Elk Grove and Schaumburg.

“Our seniors have really been a motivating force in our goals,” said Cougars coach CathyAnn Smith, who is in her 10th season. “A couple of examples have been Paige Ward (senior first baseman) twice hitting homers in big games to tie them up late. And (senior) Hilary O’Donnell (27 runs, 7 stolen bases) who has led us in center field all season as a captain.”

The Grens have some key veterans, too, such as four-year starter Jessica Balzano, who is playing in her fourth straight title game.

“Elk Grove has a lot of experience in this game,” Smith said. “But we are up for the challenge. The chemistry our girls have built this season is outstanding.”

Junior catcher Miranda Cavin (32 RBI, 4 home runs) leads the Cougars with a .494 batting average, followed by Briana Cavin (.448, 22 RBI, 2 home runs), sophomore left fielder Sarah Thompson (.444) and Ward (.438, 3 home runs). Junior third baseman Kim Jacobson has a team-high 37 RBI and 8 homers.

Completing the roster for Conant are senior pitcher Kailee Pasbrig, senior shortstop Allie Bauch (2 home runs), senior infielder Sarah Pawlik, freshman second baseman Rachel O’Malley, senior infielder-outfielder Marisa Gray and junior outfielder-infielder Shannon O’Connor.

Goranson (28 RBI, 5 home runs) leads the Grens’ attack with a .506 batting average followed by junior first baseman Becca Walz (.423, 31 RBI, 4 home runs), center fielder Kristen Cetkovic (.410, 33 RBI, 7 home runs), junior catcher Devan Parkison (.403) and second baseman Balzano (.400), who will play at Loyola next season. Junior shortstop Krista Soesbe has helped anchor the infield while batting .378. Junior Megan Keegan leads the team with 34 RBI and 8 homers.

Completing the Grens roster are junior pitcher Andrea Starr, sophomore outfielder Elisa Payne, senior third baseman Katie Keegan, junior infielder Tori Liewergen, junior catcher-outfielder Carly Danek and freshman infielder Becca Maher.

“It’s going to come down to who has all the pieces together mentally,” Smith said. “You have to execute with solid defense and take advantage of every at-bat. Dani Goranson has lots of different pitches and we have to make sure we see the ball all the way in.”

Elk Grove outhit Conant 11-8 the first time, collecting 6 hits in a 4-run sixth inning that gave the Grens a 6-1 lead.

“It’s always nerve-racking when you play Elk Grove,” Smith said. “They are solid. You make one error and coach Grams knows how to capitalize, which is a tribute to him and his program. We had one rough inning that first time. Our motto since then is that you need to play solid throughout the whole game.

“The chemistry between Briana and Miranda is really in tune now and defense is confident behind her.”

“We’re excited to play Elk Grove,” Smith said. “We’ll do everything we can. We know Elk Grove has a lot of experience in this game but we’ve been playing solid softball all season. The girls want to show it’s been no fluke. They are a talented group.” “It’s a great experience and we feel honored to be part of something so special.”

Grams has had a lot of special teams play in this game, including last year’s which won a school-record 36 games. Many members of the Class 4A third-place finisher are playing a key role on this year’s squad.

“We’ve been fortunate to be included in these games before,” Grams said. “It’s always a special day and something you point toward with all the excitement around it.”