DeKalb eliminates Elgin

Blame it on Mother Nature.

Or better yet, on DeKalb freshman Katie Kowalski.

The diminutive Kowalaski, who no-hit Elgin’s softball team in the season opener, allowed the Maroons just 4 hits Wednesday — 2 after the first inning — and the second-seeded Barbs took advantage of every Elgin mistake to down the third-seeded Maroons 4-1 in the semifinals of the Class 4A South Elgin regional on a day in which the weather took a 20-degree downward turn after the first inning.

“It started getting cold and that’s when it all went downhill,” said Elgin junior pitcher Hannah Perryman. “That’s been a problem for us all year.”

DeKalb (28-4) will take on top seed South Elgin (21-14) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday for the regional championship and a berth in next week’s Rockford Guilford sectional.

Elgin (20-14) jumped on Kowalski for a run in 2 hits in the top of the first inning as Kelly Bremer’s groundout scored Anna Eckholm, who opened the game by beating out an infield hit.

But that’s the only runner the Maroons could get across the plate off Kowalski, who struck out nine and walked two.

“We knew Katie wasn’t going to no-hit them,” said DeKalb coach Jeff Davis. “But she pitched herself out of a couple of tough situations.”

None more so than in the top of the sixth. The Barbs had grabbed a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth, tying the game on Vikki Van Bergen’s RBI single then taking the lead on an Elgin error. The Maroons had a golden opportunity to tie or go ahead in the top of the sixth when Rachel Roth beat out an infield single and Hannah Perryman reached on an error. Bremer sacrificed the runners to second and third but Kowalski struck out Jennah Perryman and Jaclyn Navarro to end the threat.

The Barbs then added a pair of unearned runs off Elgin errors in the bottom of the inning as Alysha Guy’s bloop double to right field brought home Sarah Friedlund and Van Bergen. Kowalski set the Maroons down in order in the top of the seventh to send DeKalb, which has just one regional softball title in program history (2003) to the championship game.

“It looked like she got a little faster later in the game,” said Davis of Kowalski. “She dug in and was very determined. We’ll have to be that determined on Saturday.”

Elgin coach Chad Dahlman gave Kowalski all the credit.

“We gave them some extra outs and we had our opportunities,” he said. “We just couldn’t come up with that big hit. But give Kowalski credit. She came up with the strikeouts when she needed them.”

Hannah Perryman (10-5) allowed 7 hits, struck out six and walked two in suffering the loss. She finished the season with 183 strikeouts.

Both she and Dahlman reflected on a season that may not have ended like last year’s regional championship one did, but one that did turn a corner overall.

“The season was great,” said Dahlman, whose program won 20 games for the first time since 1999. “Give credit to all these girls. They worked hard all year. It started in the offseason in the weight room and with indoor practices and that dedication is starting to show.”

And with the Perryman sisters returning to the circle, Elgin’s future looks bright.

“This season was awesome, the best one of my Elgin career,” Hannah Perryman said. “Twenty wins. That’s pretty darn good.”