Softball: Huntley knocks off Barrington
Barrington softball fans during the late 1980s will remember the big bat of Kelley O'Rilley.
She starred at Buffalo Grove High School, which at the time competed in the same Mid-Suburban North division as the Fillies.
On Wednesday at the Class 4A Hampshire softball sectional, O'Rilley's niece did a perfect impersonation of her slugging aunt.
Junior Teagan O'Rilley capped a 15-pitch at-bat with a two-out grand slam over the right-center field fence in the top of the seventh inning to cap the scoring in Huntley's 6-1 victory over Barrington.
Sophomore Briana Bower (24-5) earned the win with 14 strikeouts and a 4-hitter as the Red Raiders (31-7) advanced to Saturday's 11 a.m. championship against McHenry.
"It was just unbelievable composure by Teagan" said Huntley coach Mark Petryniec of O'Rilley's first career grand slam and her 15th homer of the season. "It was a big environment. It was loud. And all week in practice we talked about who wanted to get that big hit and be up in that big situation."
The game was tied 1-1 when Huntley began its big seventh inning rally with a walk to catcher Lindsay Morgan. Courtesy runner Abigail Simandl was sacrificed to second by Marley Riecher.
Taylor Zielinski followed with a single to center and Kendra Mitchell reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases with one out.
Freshman Reese Hunkins then delivered the game-winning RBI when she reached on an infield single toward short, scoring Simandl, and the bases remained loaded.
"I knew I had to put the ball on the ground to score the runs for the team," Hunkins said. "I was just looking up the middle and on the ground because I knew that would be the best chance to get a runner home."
Barrington pitcher Jackie Albrecht (12-1) got next batter to ground back toward the mound. She scooped up the ball and flipped to catcher Caroline Huntinger for the force and the second out.
O'Rilley, whose father Patrick played baseball at Buffalo Grove, then stepped to the plate to give Bower her big cushion.
"I didn't think it was really going to happen," said the modest O'Rilley. "I've never really hit a good ball against Barrington. They have really good pitchers. It feels pretty good. They're a great team and they've always gone far in the state tournament. It's a very respectable program."
"Teagan did amazing," said Bower, who now has 315 strikeouts for the season. "It was a great 15-pitch at bat. And my defense was great."
Victoria Schulte had three key assists at shortstop and a big putout when catcher Morgan caught a runner off base to create a rundown in the fifth inning.
The Red Raiders took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Sophia Tenuta singled to center with two outs scoring Zielinski, who had led off with a bunt single and advanced to second on Mitchell's infield single.
Barrington (30-5) tied the game in the bottom of the fifth when the Fillies had 3 of their 4 hits.
Freshman Brynn Nevers doubled deep to center field with one out. She took third on a wild pitch and came home on Ellie Wintringer's single to left.
The Fillies' other hits were by Gina Magro and Tori Meyer.
"The team that played best won the game," said Fillies coach Perry Peterson. "Congratulations to Huntley and good luck to them the rest of the playoffs.
"They're probably the most talented team we play every year. So we have to play well and we didn't play well enough today. They deserved to win."
Barrington was a 10-8 winner over Huntley earlier this season.
"If you don't hit, you don't win." Peterson said. "We got 10 runs on her (Bower) earlier in the year but she dominated us today.
"We were 30-5 so our girls did a good job this season. We had 10 seniors and we had a lot of fun with them. They led the ship nicely."
Barrington eliminated the Red Raiders the last three years in state tourney play.
Tenuta is the only Red Raider to start the last four seasons.
"To do this my senior year is the most amazing feeling," she said. "The adrenaline was running through my body all day and it still is. Honestly this was just a big team win."
"This (Barrington) is the team sent us home the last three years so hats off to our kids." Petryniec added. "We beat one of the best teams in the state.
"We knew they'd get their hits. I think if you go back and look at the books at our previous games the top of their order destroyed us and that didn't happen this time.
"Bri (Bower) stepped up big-time for a sophomore. Hats off to our girls and Barrington, too. That's a class program and they forced us to raise our bar every year to get over this hump."