Fox, Warren strike back against Lake Zurich
Warren hero Jill Fox recalled she was one of three strikeout victims of Lake Zurich pitcher Shannon McPeek in the opening frame as the North Suburban’s Lake Division opened play on Monday in Gurnee.
This game seemed to be over when Lake Zurich third baseman Marie Schroeder cracked a bases-loaded double in the top half of the seventh, giving the Bears a 3-1 lead with three outs to play.
That lead still looked safe for Lake Zurich when Warren third baseman Anna Balch drove in a run after making the second out of the seventh.
Fox cleared the bases with a double of her own as Warren came back with 3 runs in the home half of the seventh and stunned the Bears 4-3.
“I knew to look for an outside pitch,” Fox said. “We got used to her pitching. We are a strong team. We are an upbeat team.”
And evidently the Blue Devils (7-1-1) are a comeback squad as well. On a recent spring trek to downstate Carbondale, Warren came back twice to notch wins in their final at-bat.
“We never give up,’’ said Warren coach Carri McGahan. “We really believe in ourselves. It comes from their positive attitudes. They come out and play hard.”
The combined 5 runs in the seventh inning seemingly came out of nowhere. For the previous six innings, both McPeek and Warren winner Jessica Demski kept the bats quiet.
After McPeek fanned the side in the first inning, Warren batters did not strike out the rest of the game. Still, the Devils had one Lisiann Rodriguez second-inning single heading to the sixth inning.
Demski wasn’t as stingy. The right-hander allowed hits in every inning but the fourth and sixth. And in the fourth, the Bears (2-5) scored the game’s first run without benefit of a hit.
“Jessica has very good control,” McGahan said. “Her change-up has improved. She is a relaxed and focused pitcher.”
Lake Zurich wasted a few scoring opportunities in the early innings. Mallory Parsons doubled in the second but was stranded. In the third, the Bears hit in some bad luck. Shortstop Carlee Parsons ripped a shot up the middle that Demski deflected. The ball went directly to second baseman Hayley Roane, who promptly turned it into a double play.
“We didn’t have much clutch hitting,” said Lake Zurich coach Michaela Towne. “We left far too many runners on base.”
Lake Zurich’s big clutch hit came off the bat of Schroeder in the seventh. Seemingly growing weary of grounding the ball to third baseman Balch after having done so three straight times, she instead hit a gapper to center field. That 2-run lead looked safe with McPeek on the mound for the Bears.
Warren right fielder Kelly Majewski, who reached base all three times, grounded a single to open the big frame. Roane’s clutch infield hit kept the inning alive. Leadoff hitter Megan Sowa fought off several tough pitches to earn a walk. She scored the winning run on Fox’s big hit.
There was a scary moment when Lake Zurich shortstop Carlee Parsons slid into home in the sixth inning; she had to be helped off the field.