Fremd rakes out a victory
A backhoe, noisy and in full herky-jerky mode, served as a backdrop for a softball game Wednesday afternoon in gusty Gurnee.
It excavated part of a parking lot, as Fremd and Barrington battled in a Class 4A Warren sectional semifinal.
The backhoe dug.
Fremd’s Vikings, meanwhile, raked well at the plate.
Brittany Ciura, in particular.
The junior third baseman, in 3 at-bats, tripled, singled twice and drove in half of Fremd’s runs in a 4-1 victory.
“Huge,” said Vikings coach Jim Weaver. “Brittany came up so big for us.
“For the last couple of weeks,” he added, “she worked hard on her hitting. Really hard.”
First-seeded Fremd (28-5-1), which lost twice to fourth-seeded Barrington (27-11) in the regular season, will play for a sectional title at 11 a.m. Saturday against the winner of today’s 4:30 p.m. semifinal between second-seeded Palatine (25-9) and third-seeded Lake Zurich (22-7).
Ciura’s sharp first-inning single to center field drove in the game’s first run, following a lengthy at-bat by Fremd sophomore center fielder Amanda Matsumoto.
Matsumoto, on a 3-2 count, fouled off several pitches from Fillies ace Kiley Dolezal before advancing leadoff hitter Allie Gaeding to third base on a groundout. Gaeding had stolen second base, after drawing a walk.
“She does that all the time … fouling off so many pitches like that,” said winning pitcher Rachel Doering, who threw a complete-game 5-hitter with 2 strikeouts and 1 walk.
“Awesome,” the junior added. “She’s awesome.”
In a regular-season game against Mid-Suburban West champion Conant, Matsumoto got foul-ball-happy in a 14-pitch at-bat.
“With two strikes, I don’t want to strike out,” she said Wednesday. “That’s what I’m thinking. Who wants to strike out? I’d much rather get a piece of pitches, over and over, and maybe wear out the pitcher a little.”
Dolezal recorded the first out of the second inning, grabbing Megan Hubbard’s supersonic liner. Barrington errors — two, in the next four at-bats — then paved the way to 2 unearned runs.
Vikings junior catcher Janelle Schneider (2-for-3) capitalized after the first error, ripping a run-scoring double to right-center.
Another infield error allowed Fremd to take a 3-0 lead.
“Fremd took advantage of our miscues,” Fillies coach Perry Peterson said. “Their players also played better than our players did.
“I wish them the best of luck in their next game.”
Talent, plus clutch pitches, helped Doering escape a couple of pickles on Wednesday. She stranded Fillies on second and third in the fourth inning; in the top of the sixth, Doering allowed only 1 run (Jordan Wekony’s RBI force-out) after Barrington had packed the bases with nobody out.
“Rachel did what she needed to do, and our kids played well, defensively, behind her,” Weaver said.
But Fremd’s mindset, from the first pitch until the final out (Matsumoto’s catch in center), thrilled Weaver more than anything else did Wednesday.
“We pushed; we were aggressive … much more aggressive than we were in our first two games against Barrington. Our thinking was, ‘Put the ball in play, make (Barrington) make plays.’
“I’m really proud of the kids, proud of their mental toughness today.”
Six Fillies, including Dolezal (6 IP, 2 ER, 8 hits, 5 Ks, 1 BB), played their last prep game on Wednesday. They played in a combined 20 varsity seasons.
“Our seniors had a lot of success through the years, and they should be proud of their accomplishments,” Peterson said. “A great veteran group.”
Center fielder/slap maven Colleen Shandley was an integral part of that contingent. She plans to pursue a career that requires, at times, excavation.
She won’t, however, need a backhoe. Marquette-bound Shandley, the daughter of dentists, wants to follow in her parents’ fluoride steps.
But the basketball fan in her came out after Wednesday’s loss.
“Fremd played well, and we did not play our best softball,” Shandley admitted. “You have to play your best softball, in every playoff game. It’s not like the NBA playoffs. NBA teams get to play in more games after losing a playoff game.”