Softball: Sheridan’s web gem helps Lucas, Fremd blank Elk Grove

Fremd ace Hailey Lucas says she loves just being able to throw strikes and trust her defense.

And you certainly could see why on Wednesday.

With her team nursing a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning, host Elk Grove had the bases loaded and one out when Lexi Goeringer blooped a ball to shallow center that looked like it was going to cause all kinds of trouble.

However, Vikings freshman shortstop Avery Sheridan somehow made a beautiful running back-handed stab and then threw to sophomore second baseman Amanda Poniecki to double up the runner and end the inning.

It proved to be a game changer as Fremd (6-2, 2-0) went on to blank the Grenadiers 4-0 in the Mid-Suburban League softball crossover.

"All my coaches and myself thought it was dropping in," said Elk Grove coach Ken Grams. "It would have tied the game and we are sitting at second and third with one out. Instead the game takes on a whole new personality, So she (Sheridan) was the hero. Not to take anything away from them. Their pitcher was very good. We had only five baserunners and she was in control of stuff. She did a heck of a job."

Lucas praised her shortstop for doing a heck of a job.

"She is so incredible and has been doing really well this season," said Lucas (5-2), who tossed a 2-hitter and was in double-digit strikeouts (10) for the seventh time this season. "That catch was amazing. At first (with the bases loaded), it was a little stressful but I knew the second it popped up, she had it. And then doubling up the runner was a big thing,"

After giving up two unearned runs in the second, Elk Grove's defense came up big, too.

The Vikes still had the bases loaded with its 2-0 lead but the first out came when shortstop Aria Trausch threw to catcher Maria Smith for the force out. The Grens then pulled off a nifty 1-2-3 double play, capped by first baseman's Hannah Kugelburg's beautiful scoop.

Lucas got two more insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings.

Poniecki (2-for-3) led off the fifth with a single and came home on catcher Mia Souliotis' single to left to make it 3-0

In the sixth, Sheridan led off with a single to left and came home on Taylor Piento's groundout to first base.

"Hailey always works very, very hard on the mound," said Souliotis (1-for-4), a senior who was robbed of extra bases in the first inning on a nice running catch by centerfielder Katie Wirtz. "Hailey makes things easy on our defense and our defense steps up when it has to. This was a good overall team win. It was a nice way to continue our conference journey."

Aliya Garcia and Biranna Magner had EG's 2 hits off Lucas, who retired 11 of the last 12 batters she faced..

"In my mind, you can look at her stats and say Hailey is off to one of the best starts as a pitcher in program history," said Fremd coach Josh Teschner. "We trust her in the circle and know she is going to compete every time out. And the great thing is that she is very communicative. She'll come in and say "I'm feeling good about this" or "we need to do this" and that's all you can ask from a returning all-state pitcher."

And Techner couldn't have asked for more from Sheridan on her defensive gem.

"That was the play of the game," Grams said. "Who knows what would have happened if it fell in?"

"It hyped everyone up," Lucas said. "We carried it into our offense the next few innings."

"We have a lot of new and young starters in some really key spots and Avery Sheridan is one of them," Teschner said. "She is growing into a phenomenal varsity shortstop, She has a little growth still to come but her approach at the plate is getting better and defensively she is really understanding how to drop set and make plays."

Elk Grove lost for the first time in seven games and stands at 1-1 in the MSL East.

"We're turning into a good, competitive team," said Grams, who used pitchers Goerginger (3-1) for the first five innings and Garcia for the final two innings. "It's working out well."