Mundelein’s Hemmer hammers away
Rounding first base hard had become the norm for Alex Hemmer, but this time Mundelein’s softball slugger stood on the bag.
Then like all good base runners, she looked at her coach for instructions. She saw Mustangs head coach Brett Wilhelm flashing numbers.
“My coach kept throwing numbers at me and I had no idea what he was trying to tell me,” Hemmer said with a laugh. “I was like, ‘OK, I’m just going to keep hitting.’ ”
Wilhelm wasn’t giving Hemmer the steal sign, however, nor trying to tell her how many outs there were.
“I was showing (assistant) coach (Pete) Nadler how many RBIs she had. I’m like, ‘I think it’s 7,’ ” Wilhelm said. “You could hear them all talking in the dugout.”
True. Hemmer’s 2-run single in the third followed her 2-RBI base hit in the second and her 3-run homer in the first. She belted a solo shot in the fifth, finishing 4-for-4 with 2 homers and 8 RBI, as third-seeded Mundelein pounded No. 2 Libertyville 15-0 in five innings in a semifinal of the Class 4A Carmel regional Wednesday.
“Alex has just been hitting the ball tremendously lately,” Wilhelm said. “The last month, I can’t tell you how many times she’s been on base. It feels like she’s been on base almost every single at-bat.”
Hemmer wasn’t Mundelein’s only hitter. Chloe Peterson also had 4 hits, adding 2 RBI and 2 stolen bases, and Abbey Rosenow was 3-for-4 with 3 runs scored as part of a 17-hit attack. Erin Kennelly, who doubled in the first, and winning pitcher Molly Ellett, who led off the second with a homer, each went 2-for-4 for Mundelein (15-18), which advanced to Saturday’s 11 a.m. regional final against top-seeded Carmel (17-18).
Maddie Zazas walked three times, including once with the bases loaded. Hemmer even gunned a strike to second base to throw out Libertyville’s Tayler Oberman, who was trying to steal in the first.
“Hats off to Mundelein,” Libertyville coach Elissa Wisniewski said. “They came to play. They came out on top, and you can’t take anything away from them.”
Libertyville (17-17) had been playing its best softball in the last couple of weeks, despite losing to Mundelein 14-3 the last time the teams met. It’s the first time the Wildcats have not finished with a losing record since sometime in the 1990s, Wisniewski said.
“They had been playing really well,” Hemmer said. “So coming into it, we were all really prepared and were trying not to get too cocky.”
Hemmer’s 3-run bomb to center field off Libertyville starter Haley Alban got Mundelein going, and the Mustangs never stopped hitting. Ellett’s line drive over the left-field fence and Hemmer’s sharply hit 2-run single had Mundelein up 6-0 in the second. The Mustangs’ 5-run third included a 2-run double by Hailey Morelli and Hemmer’s second 2-RBI single.
Hemmer led off the fifth by slicing a low-and-away pitch over the fence in right.
“It felt amazing,” said Hemmer, who will continue her playing career at Lake Forest College. “(The ball) seriously looked like a beach ball. It was awesome just to play this well against our rival. Now I’m hoping I can do it again against our in-town rival Saturday.”
Hemmer was on-deck when Morelli lined out with the bases loaded to end the top of the fifth.
“I was so anxious. I was so ready to go,” said Hemmer, smiling.
Ellett pitched all 5 innings for Mundelein, scattering 3 hits and striking out a pair. Libertyville got singles from Lauren Vogg, Oberman and Calley Kaluzny. Senior ace Emilie Teitz missed the game due to illness.
“We have some seniors, but we also have some young talent out there, and this is their first experience with a playoff atmosphere at the varsity level,” Wisniewski said. “Welcome to the varsity level. This is what it’s about. Hopefully we can use this as a learning experience.”