Streamwood freshman handles Larkin
Streamwood freshman Kaitlyn Hedger didn’t know she was going to pitch Monday until the Sabres arrived at Larkin for the Class 4A South Elgin regional softball play-in game.
The Sabres’ rookie made the most of the opportunity, limiting Larkin to 6 hits as Streamwood ended the Royals’ season with a 4-1 win.
Streamwood (4-24) will take on top seed South Elgin at 4:30 p.m. today with the winner advancing to the regional championship game to be played either Friday or Saturday.
“Kaitlyn pitched excellent today,” said Streamwood coach Nick Baird. “I was a little nervous when she got wild in the first inning but she came back. She overcomes her mistakes and doesn’t get rattled.”
Larkin (9-25) took a 1-0 lead in the game in the bottom of the second inning when Hedger walked senior leadoff hitter Megan Johnson, the only free pass Hedger gave up all day. Johnson scored on a windblown single to right field from Nikki Banks.
But Streamwood answered with 3 runs in the top of the third off Larkin’s Kiernan Schock. Holly Foret led off with a triple and with one out Schock hit Jen Mellenthin with a pitch. Mellenthin took second on the next pitch without a play. Brittany Delao then ripped a single up the middle to score both runners. Delao took second on the throw home then scored on Dani Fisher’s two-out single.
From there it was up to Hedger, who shut down every Larkin threat with the help of a defense that played an errorless game.
“I was a little nervous but I knew I had my teammates out there behind me,” said Hedger, who added that her curveball was working well all day. “I knew I wasn’t alone out there.”
After Streamwood senior Bri Bodajewicz, who singled and stole second, scored on an error in the top of the seventh to make it 4-1, Larkin did bring the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the inning. Banks and pinch-hitter Beth Barry stroked two-out singles but Hedger changed speeds with two strikes on Larkin senior leadoff hitter Corinne Wimmer and struck out the area’s second leading hitter swinging to end the game.
“We had a rough season,” said an elated Baird. “This is the first Streamwood team to win a regional game in about a decade. This team has battled hard. Our record doesn’t indicate what kind of team this is.”
Delao had 2 hits for the Sabres, as did Jaclyn Saurbaugh and Banks for Larkin. Hedger struck out four, while Schock struck out six and only walked one.
“It was a tough one,” said Larkin coach Larry Hight, whose team endured its losingest season in his 15 years at the helm. “They got the hits when they needed them and we didn’t hit when we needed to. We had the right people up at the right time we just didn’t get it done.
“Unless you win the state tournament, every team goes through what we’re going through right now. I feel bad for our (six) seniors. Two of them (Wimmer and Johnson) have been on the varsity four years. It’s tough to see them go.”