Softball: Dundee-Crown edges Jacobs

With a team loaded with talented sophomores and without a senior, junior Megan Emerson has emerged as one of the leaders on the Dundee-Crown softball team.

Emerson, who collected an RBI double in D-C's 4-run first, lofted a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth to score Claire Weeks with the game-winning run in the Chargers' 8-7 win over District 300 rival Jacobs in Fox Valley Conference Valley Division action in Carpentersville Tuesday afternoon.

"As one of the older players on the team, I try to be a leader by playing hard all the time." said Emerson. "I just wanted to make good contact and hopefully drive in the game-winning run. This is a great win for us."

The pivotal eighth inning for the Chargers unfolded when Weeks and winning pitcher Sydney Ruggles led off with singles. Katie English walked with one out to load the bases which set up Emerson's heroics.

"With one out, I was thinking about bunting with Megan to get the run in," said Dundee-Crown coach Tracy Beatty. ''But Megan has been swinging the bat pretty well so I thought she would give us a good at-bat. She did a great job of getting the ball in the air. Even though we were playing our rival I tried to impress to the girls this was just another conference division game."

D-C (8-8, 1-2) looked to be in good shape leading Jacobs 7-4 after 6 innings.

But the Golden Eagles (2-5, 2-1) didn't quit and scored 3 in the top of the seventh to tie the score at 7.

The big hits were a 2-run homer by Alexis Addante and a run-scoring single by Kerri Healy.

With runners on second and third and nobody out, Jacobs looked to take the lead. Teaghan Richman lofted a fly ball for the first out of the inning. On the play, the second out came on a pickoff at second and the third out to complete the triple play occurred when the runner at third was called out for leaving early.

Brittany Feldmann, the losing pitcher, entered the game in the bottom of third inning in relief of starter Katie Armstrong. Feldmann allowed D-C 2 runs on 7 hits in 6 innings of work.

"The triple play was an unfortunate thing," said Jacobs coach Katie O' Brien. "Brittany Feldmann was outstanding. She gave us a chance to come back.''