Efflandt-Leudo combo on target for Cary-Grove
Juniors Lindsay Efflandt and Sarah Leudo are in their third high school season together as Cary-Grove’s pitcher and catcher, respectively. And with that comes a level of trust, both between each other and with their coaches.
Until recently, Cary-Grove assistant coach Mark Olson, as he has for many years for Cary-Grove’s pitchers, called the game for Efflandt. But now Leudo has taken on those duties and Monday’s performance against Crystal Lake South reaffirmed the move was a good one for the Trojans.
Mixing up her pitches all day and keeping the Gators’ hitters off stride the entire afternoon, Efflandt spun a 3-hitter and had the game-winning hit herself as Cary-Grove won 3-1 in eight innings in Fox Valley Conference softball action in Crystal Lake.
“It’s really good having the pitcher-catcher thing,” said Efflandt, who struck out 11 and walked 3 in running her record to 18-4 for the season, her 87th win in a Cary-Grove uniform. “There’s the trust thing and there’s the teamwork thing. It feels good to be able to work the true battery thing.”
Cary-Grove coach Tammy Olson was comfortable turning over the game-calling duties to Leudo, who has caught every one of Efflandt’s 87 wins.
“Sarah is a tremendous player,” Olson said. “She knows how to call a game and they’re in tune with each other. They’ve been together three years. They’re intelligent girls and they know what to do.”
Freshman Hallie Massie of CL South had a stellar game in the circle as well, holding Cary-Grove (20-5, 6-1) to 7 hits, with 3 of those coming in the top of the eighth. Massie struck out 7 and walked 2.
The teams traded second-inning runs as Cary-Grove’s Taylor Dunne drew a one-out walk, went to second on Jamie Deering’s groundout and scored on Sarah Kendeigh’s line drive single just out of the reach of the Gators’ shortstop. South (15-7, 3-4) came back in the bottom of the inning with back-to-back doubles from Alli Bochat and Hannah Mahoney to tie the game.
Each team had scoring chances after that, but Efflandt and Massie got out of situations with strikeouts and good defense. The Trojans got a runner to third with one out in the fifth and South had runners at second in the fourth and fifth with one out but the game went to the eighth tied 1-1.
C-G sophomore Lisa Semro, who had struck out twice and walked, opened the inning with a clean single up the middle. Sara Markelonis sacrificed Semro to second and Efflandt drilled a single through the 5-6 hole to score Semro and break the tie. After Leudo flied out to the base of the fence in right-center, Dunne jacked a double to the fence in left-center that scored courtesy runner Rebecca Lowe with an insurance run.
“Lisa’s a competitor,” said Olson of Semro leading off the inning with the hit the Trojans needed. “She battled and she wanted to make something happen.”
And after Semro did just that, Efflandt figured it was her obligation to do the same.
“Lisa got her job done and Sara got her job done so I had to get my job done,” Efflandt said. “I was just thinking basehit.”
The Gators got a one-out double from leadoff hitter Samantha McLean in the bottom of the eighth but Efflandt got a groundout for the second out and then avoided seeing summer ball teammate Liz Adams for the fourth time by getting Sam Golf to fly out to Dunne at the base of the center field fence to end the game.
“It was a good game,” said South coach Scott Busam. “Hallie did a great job today. Every time she goes out there she gives us a chance to win and that’s all you can ask of young pitchers. She pitched great today but unfortunately she was outdueled by one of the best in the area. “I won’t be said when Lindsay graduates. She’s a great player. We did a lot of good things today but they had the big hits in the big moments.”