Sandwich surprises Rosary
The upset bug bit Rosary again.
Seeded second in the Class 3A Yorkville regional, the Royals didn’t bring their bats offensively and walked No. 3 Sandwich seven times in a disappointing season-ending 6-3 loss Wednesday afternoon.
Last year Rosary took the No. 1 seed into regional play and lost its opener to Oswego.
“It’s the second year in a row we haven’t hit on semifinal night,” Rosary coach John Kazmierczak said. “I don’t know what it is. What are you going to do?”
What made the loss even more frustrating for Rosary (13-16) — and sweeter for Sandwich (14-16) — was that the Royals had rolled Sandwich by the mercy rule earlier this year.
“That is a big win for us,” said Sandwich coach Lauren Vaclavik, whose team will play No. 1 seed Yorkville on Saturday for the regional title. “We knew it was possible. We’ve been playing good ball lately.”
Sandwich showed that early, overcoming an early 2-0 deficit in the second inning to grab a 4-2 lead with a 4-run third inning.
An RBI single by Rosary shortstop Brenda Rocha (3 hits) scored Tara Pfeiffer who had singled to start a 2-out rally and bring the Royals within 4-3 in the fourth.
Sandwich increased its lead to 6-3 with 2 runs in the fifth, a rally set up by 2 walks by Audrey Ruddy. Both walks came around to score.
“I thought Audrey really pitched a good game,” Kazmierczak said, “but the seven walks killed us. And they made use of their hits when they had the baserunners.”
Ali Keenum walked and Chelsey Frieders singled for a promising start to Rosary’s fifth inning, and the runners moved up on a bunt by Cassie Zachmann. But when Danielle Reder lifted a fly to pretty deep right, Keenum was thrown out at home for a 9-2 inning-ending, momentum-changing double play.
“I thought the ball was hit deep enough to score even on a tag-up,” Kazmierczak said. “I told Ali it takes an accurate throw to get you. I said don’t hang your head, that call is on me.”
Sandwich right fielder Gina Lorusso made the throw to catcher Jordan Kipper.
“It’s a huge momentum boost for us,” Vaclavik said. “It’s something we have been working with our outfield all season, getting those quick throws home. It just spikes your adrenaline.”
Rosary didn’t threaten winning pitcher Morgan Murphy again, a Maddie Merritt single the Royals’ only baserunner in a quiet final two innings of their season.
“Last year I think we were a little more successful,” Kazmierczak said. “The big thing for us this year, 60 errors on the season. I don’t care how good of a team you are, if you commit errors you aren’t going to be in ballgames. That’s what we learned more than anything.”
Rosary graduates 9 seniors — Pfeiffer, Rocha, Keenum, Ruddy, Mackenie Astling, Frieders, Zachmann, Emily Meyer and Danielle Reder — that Kazmierczak said will be hard to replace.
“There is a reason we have 38 to 44 kids in our program and these nine kids are the reason why,” Kazmierczak said. “To go from freshmen and stay with it until they are seniors, there’s not many schools in the area who have 9 seniors. I put the challenge for the underclassmen. Everything is available next year. It’s how hard they want to work and prove themselves.”