Cavin, Conant pass Fremd’s test

Conant was down 2-1 in the bottom of the third when its No. 9 hitter, Megan Reff, did what she does best — spark the offense.

Reff’s leadoff double brought Cougars ace pitcher Briana Cavin to the plate.

“I just knew I had to put the ball somewhere,” Cavin said.

All she did was put the ball over the right-center field fence.

Cavin’s third home run of the season ended up being the game-winning RBI in her no-hitter and 4-2 victory that kept the Cougars (15-1, 5-0) in first place in the Mid-Suburban West, 1 game ahead of Barrington (14-3, 4-1) and Palatine (11-7, 4-1) and 2 games ahead of Fremd (15-4, 3-2).

The Cougars weren’t done in the third inning after the big blast by Cavin, who struck out nine.

Fremd senior Rachel Doering (7-3) got the next two batters on a fly out to left fielder Caitlin Patenaude and a strikeout.

But Miranda Cavin followed with a single to right and stole second. After a walk to Kim Jacobson, Sarah Thompson singled to shallow left field for an RBI and the 4-2 lead.

“Once they scored (2 runs in the top of the first), we had to keep our heads up,” said Miranda Cavin (2-for-3). “We couldn’t let those 2 runs bring us down.”

Fremd got the 2 runs when Mandi Matsumoto led off the game with a walk and went to second on Leigh Farina’s sacrifice bunt.

Michelle Mazur then made it all the way to third base on an outfield error, scoring Matsumoto.

Conant tried a pickoff play at third base but an error on that play allowed Mazur to scoot home for the 2-0 advantage.

Conant got 1 run back in the bottom half of the inning when Allie Bauch singled to center with one out and later came home on an infield error.

“We started out slow,” said Bauch, the Cougars veteran shortstop. “The big thing was that we kept our heads up. Megan Reff had a really nice hit to get us going.”

Reff ended up 1-for-1 with 2 walks.

“I just want to help my team any way I can,” said Reff, a senior designated hitter. “We win together and we lose together. We knew we could get something going. We just had to string the hits together.”

“I thought Megan Reff’s double really sparked us,” said Cougars coach CathyAnn Smith. “We always say it takes all 12 of our players. Meg is our No. 9 hitter and that doesn’t matter.

“We just had to work really hard on defense. After Fremd got those 2 runs, we knew we couldn’t give them any more.”

The Vikes had their chances but couldn’t break through. They left the bases loaded in the third inning and left two runners on in the fifth.

“The bottom line is we left too many on base,” said Fremd coach Jim Weaver. “And we took some tough called third strikes.

“But I am proud of how we played and pitched (Doering struck out three). I loved our at-bats except for a few instances.

“We executed well but left too many runners. Going against a pitcher like Bri Cavin, you’ve got to make the most of those opportunities.”

Conant had the opportunity to show what it could do against MSL powerhouses Elk Grove, Barrington and Fremd in its last three games. The Cougars passed each test.

“Now we have to keep doing what we’ve been doing,” said Miranda Cavin. “We must stay focused and play our game.”

The next game is Friday when Conant travels to Schaumburg, where Smith was a former pitcher for the Saxons.

“We’ve had three big games but now we have to worry about Schaumburg,” Reff said. “We’ve got to go there with confidence and be mentally tough.”

Just like Briana Cavin was on Wednesday with her second no-hitter this season.

“Bri’s home run was the highlight,” Smith said. “She is one of the hardest-working players I’ve coached. Bri and Miranda were in synch again. and our communication on the field was great.”