Fecho, Glenbard North come up aces
In three years watching her, Lake Park coach Tom Mazzie said this was the strongest he’s seen Lilly Fecho go through a game.
“She’s becoming that seven-inning pitcher they thought she would be,” Mazzie said of Glenbard North’s ace.
No argument here.
Fecho, a senior lefty committed to Purdue, shook off 3 first-inning runs to strike out nine in No. 10 Glenbard North’s 5-3 win over No. 13 Lake Park in the season opener for both teams Wednesday in Roselle.
Lake Park scratched across its 3 runs with only one ball leaving the infield. Fecho, not fazed, yielded just 3 singles the rest of the way and didn’t allow a runner past second base.
“It’s the first game, you just got to adjust to everything that’s going on. It’s a young team,” said Fecho, who has an all sophomore and freshman infield behind her. “(Catcher) Alexis (Simone) and I have a good relationship calling pitches. We kind of settled into our mojo.”
Simone gunned down a would-be basestealer to end the first and also helped her pitcher by throwing out a runner in the fourth. Fecho didn’t need much assistance in the fifth and sixth, striking out the side in both innings and getting stronger as the game wore on.
“I noticed as the game went on she was popping the ball even more,” Glenbard North coach Josh Sanew said. “She was more aggressive.”
“When she started locating that changeup and that riseball she got tough,” Mazzie said. “Our hitters, instead of staying aggressive, let her get ahead in the count. Once she got ahead she owned us.”
Glenbard North jumped ahead first on Kelsey Muller’s 2-run homer in the top of the first, but Lake Park answered with its 3 in the bottom half, Stephanie Aronson’s RBI single the only of 4 hits to leave the infield.
Indicative of a first game, both teams committed 3 errors apiece in the game’s first four innings. Glenbard North had a couple runners thrown out at the plate and left the bases loaded in the second. The Panthers went ahead with 2 in the fourth, Ashley Stiver walking and coming around to score on a throwing error. With two out leadoff hitter Bri Harn beat out an infield single to score Alexis Caliva with the go-ahead run.
Harn and Muller both reached base twice.
“Two seniors setting the table at the top of the order for us,” Sanew said. “Both did a great job.”
Fecho’s RBI double in the fifth added an insurance run. Sanew admitted while it was good to get a win, there’s plenty of room for growth.
“It’s all teaching stuff right now,” he said. “There is a lot of talent here, but there’s still a lot of work we need to do to get the level we need to be.”
Mazzie echoed those sentiments from his end.
“I preach to these girls that these first 10 games can’t just be about winning,” Mazzie said. “It’s got to be about getting better and improving.”
Stephanie Starr had 2 hits and Danielle Jecmen struck out four in relief for Lake Park, which did give Glenbard North 4 of its runners with errors.
“At the same time they kicked the ball around a little bit too,” Mazzie said, “The reality is they were better than us today.”