Elk Grove downs Jacobs to head back to state

Elk Grove softball coach Ken Grams may not have known much about Jacobs and senior pitcher Katie Kirker, but he knew one thing: The Golden Eagles and Kirker had been trying on Cinderella's slipper for the past week.

“I said ‘This kid's on a roll and she's a tough pitcher to hit,' ” said Grams.

So when Elk Grove senior Dani Goranson hit Kirker's first pitch of the bottom of the first inning to the right-center field gap for a double, it appeared Grams' team was poised to keep Cinderella's footwear safely in its box on a clear and starlight Monday night in Elgin.

Elk Grove used Goranson's double to ignite a 3-run first inning that carried the Grens to a 4-1 win over Jacobs in the Class 4A Judson University supersectional.

Elk Grove (31-8) will play Marist at 2:30 p.m. Friday in the state semifinals in East Peoria. Marist beat Trinity 8-3 Monday in one supersectional at Rosemont Stadium. Bartlett tripped up Maine West 4-1 in the other super in Rosemont and will face defending state champion Moline in the 5 p.m. semifinal Friday.

Elk Grove is in the state final tournament for the second time in the last three years. Jacobs finished its season 25-15.

After Goranson's double, a Jacobs error allowed Devan Parkison to reach and a sacrifice bunt by Becca Maher moved courtesy runner Megan Eul and Parkison to third and second respectively. Senior Megan Keegan then delivered a 2-run single to center and she took second on a wild throw to the infield. Carly Danek followed with a single and Krista Soesbe's sacrifice fly scored Keegan to make it a 3-0 game.

“We thought if we could get something early it might put (Jacobs) back on their heels a little,” said Grams, who won his 777th career game.

The runs were the first Jacobs had allowed in the postseason and broke Kirker's personal streak of 25 consecutive scoreless innings.

“We struggled in that first inning and against a team like that you need to keep them to a couple runs at the most,” said Jacobs coach Jeremy Bauer. “We ran into a phenomenal team and a phenomenal pitcher tonight. Hats off to them and we hope they represent our area well downstate.”

The 3 runs were more than Goranson (25-7) would need. The Michigan State recruit fired a 2-hitter with 10 strikeouts and 1 walk. The only run Jacobs scored came on an illegal pitch call after Golden Eagles' junior Nicky Chapa had tripled to lead off the second inning.

“Taking the momentum early definitely gets us going no matter who we're playing,” said Goranson of the early lead. “We came in not knowing much about Jacobs. Our coaches just told us to keep doing what we've been doing, just to do it better.”

Elk Grove extended its lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the fifth when Goranson doubled again and Eul, running again, stopped at third on Parkison's single before scoring on a single to right field by Maher. Then, Goranson worked out of her biggest jam of the night.

With one out in the top of the sixth, Kaitlyn Woloszyk singled, Courtney Cotugno reached on a two-out error and Alyssa Lach walked to load the bases and bring Chapa up as the go-ahead run at the plate. But Chapa's hard grounder to short resulted in a runner interference call for the third out.

“She's had a great run,” said Grams of Goranson. “She's a terrific pitcher and a great competitor. When things had to get done tonight she reached back and did it, and she led the way with her hitting. That's what she's been doing for four years for us. I'm glad she lives I n Elk Grove.”

For Jacobs it was the end of a run that started when Kirker finally overcame a season-long groin injury and pitched the Golden Eagles to their first sectional championship.

“It's going to take a while for it to sink in,” said Bauer. “It's hard to let it set in right now as to how special it really was. It was a great ride. It's a credit to the coaching staff and the players.”