Softball: Kirby, Bartlett blank Rolling Meadows

The Bartlett softball team has adopted a simple rallying cry this postseason.

Why not us?

The answer to that question appears to be stellar pitching, timely hitting and clutch defense.

All that was on display Thursday as the host Hawks beat Rolling Meadows 7-0 in a Class 4A regional semifinal. Eighth-seeded Bartlett (24-12) will host No. 2 seed Conant at 11 a.m. Saturday for the regional title.

Starting pitcher Danielle Kirby improved to 13-7 by throwing a 2-hitter with 7 strikeouts in 6 innings pitched. She also didn't allow a runner past second base and struck out 6 of the first 9 hitters she faced.

Taylor Rotondo got the game's big hit, a towering 3-run home run in the fifth inning that doubled the score in Bartlett's favor. She finished with 4 RBI.

And second baseman Katie Fornoff made a great play on a big-hop grounder to squelch a potential Mustangs rally in the sixth. Fornoff and Sydney Quagliano each had a pair of hits as well.

Indeed, why not Bartlett?

"That's my assistant coach's idea," said coach Jim Wolfsmith, referring to pitching coach Rob Call. "That's kind of our slogan right now … why not us? It could be anybody. I like it, I think it's an excellent idea."

"We've all come together more this season, and we've all become one, and that's the goal of why not us?" Rotondo added. "It's to be one team, one program."

It was a hot afternoon, which made the effectiveness of Kirby and Mustangs' starter Lydia Schultz that much more impressive. Outside of Rotondo's dinger, Schultz scattered the other 5 hits while striking out 9, though she did walk 4, 2 of whom scored.

"It is a lot different than many of the games we've played this year," Schultz said of the mid-80s heat. "It's raining, cold, snowing sometimes. It's kind of hard to adjust to it."

Bartett scored a pair in the first on a double steal and a wild pitch, and a single run in the second before Rotondo unloaded in the fifth to put the Hawks up 6-0.

Kirby got into trouble in the top of the sixth, walking Caroline Slowik and giving up a single to Sara Benner. But she got a pair of fly outs before Megan King slashed a big hop grounder to Fornoff, who blocked it and then threw her out.

After a 2-28 2015 campaign, Rolling Meadows finished 16-16. Schultz is a junior, so there are high hopes for next season for coach Tony Wolanski.

"Eight of our top 10 kids who played are back next year, and we've got to build on that," Wolanski said.