Softball: Potempa’s 1-hitter lifts Stevenson over Palatine and onto sectionals
In 2015, sophomore leadoff batter and centerfielder Vera Pflugardt helped Stevenson win its 10th softball regional championship.
Nine years later, Pflugardt helped the Patriots win their first one since 2015 — this time as their first-year head coach.
Patriots leadoff batter Alyssa Shimanski walked to begin the bottom of the first inning, took second on a wild pitch, third on Jasmine Lucero's deep fly out to left and scored on a wild pitch to score the only run pitcher Ava Potempa would need.
Stevenson's sophomore ace went on to throw a 1-hitter with 6 strikeouts and 1 walk to lift the No. 4 Patriots (20-10) to a 3-0 shutout over No. 5 Palatine (19-17) in their own Class 4A regional championship on Saturday.
The Pats will face top-seeded Mundelein (33-1) in Tuesday's 4 p.m. sectional semifinal at Warren High School.
Potempa was perfect through 3 1/3 innings before No. 2 hitter Quinn Schwartz provided Palatine's only hit, a single to center.
Potempa got the next batter on a fly out to centerfielder Shimanski. A ground out to shortstop Lucero closed the inning.
She got insurance runs on an RBI groundout by Lucero to drive in Addie Pak (reached on a perfect bunt) in the third inning and junior Aubrey Jepson's one-out solo blast which cleared the 195-foot left field fence by at least 40 feet in the sixth inning.
"We were definitely working as a team," Potempa said. "I was trusting everyone on the field and also trusting myself."
"I'm really happy to be a part of this team," said Jepson (2-for-3, double), whose home run was her sixth of the season. "I think together we have created something special between all of us and I'm really excited to see where we can go."
Pflugardt said Potempa knew she could go to her defense.
"Ava could tell the defense had her back the whole time," said the rookie coach who is a middle school physical education teacher in Hawthorne School District 73 and a former standout center fielder at Wisconsin-Whitewater. "They were awesome. They've been working hard all season and they executed today.
"Ava pitched an awesome game. She does really well under pressure and I think she just wanted to get it done for her team. Your pitcher is only as good as your catcher. I thought Amanda (Turofsky, a Whitewater recruit) was awesome behind the plate. She contained the runners."
Palatine coach Nicole Capalbo got solid pitching from junior starter Holly Steffus (5 strikeouts in 4 innings) and freshman Mia Woldman (4 strikeouts), who worked the last two innings to complete a combined 3-hitter.
"Holly gave up only 3 hits and Mia came in and did a good job shutting it down so I felt like we put ourselves in a good position to win," Capalbo said. "Unfortunately we came up short but we can definitely leave the field with our heads held high.
"I told the girls we played a really good softball game. We were hitting the ball in play. It was just right to them so there was nothing we could do about that.
"We have a young team and our seniors were great leaders. Our underclassmen learned a lot from them and we'll be in a good spot next year because of those seniors. I think the experience for those younger girls being in a regional championship will also help for next season, too."
Barrington 8, Dundee-Crown 6:
Barrington's softball team (27-5) won its 22nd consecutive regional championship under hall of fame coach Perry Peterson on Saturday with an 8-6 victory over Dundee-Crown (19-16) in the Chargers' Class 4A regional in Carpentersville.
It was the program's 27th regional crown and 24th under Peterson, who won his 970th game. He trails only St Joseph-Ogden's Randy Wolken (1,044) and Elk Grove's Ken Grams (1,039) for most wins in IHSA softball history.
Sophomore ace Katie Taraschewsky (26-5) earned the win with 5 strikeouts while also going 2-for-4 the plate with 2 RBI.
Other offensive leaders for the Fillies were Reese Cullen (2-for-4, 2 RBI), Greta Mueller (1-for-3, triple), Shannon Kenney (1-for-3, double) and Mimi Cline (1-for-3, RBI).
Barrington advances to its own sectional and will face either Hononegah and Harlem on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
Lakes 7, Resurrection 0 Cassidy Berchtold fired a no-hitter to lead No. 3 Lakes (18-14) to the championship of the Class 3A Ridgewood regional with a 7-0 shutout over No. 6 Resurrection (19-11-1).
The Eagles advance to the Antioch sectional to face No. 2 Wauconda on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.
Wauconda 3, Cary-Grove 0: No. 2 Wauconda (20-10) won the Class 3A Cary-Grove regional with a 3-0 shutout over No. 9 Cary-Grove (12-19).
It was the Bulldogs' fourth straight regional crown under coach Tim Orisek.
Senior pitcher Lesleigh Reimers fired a 3-hitter with 10 strikeouts as Ellary Nick (1-for-1, double, 2 runs), Alyssa Vodicka (1-for-3, RBI) and Madison May 1-for-3, double, 1 run) led the offense.
The Bulldogs face No. 3 Lakes (18-14) at the Antioch sectional semifinal on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.
Grayslake Central 8, Vernon Hills 3: No. 4 Grayslake Central defeated No. 5 Vernon Hills, 8-3, as Annie Wolff earned the win, allowing no earned runs and striking out four. She also went 2-4 at the plate with 2 RBI.
Kate Davies finished 2-for-2 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI and missed a grand slam by inches in the fourth inning. The ball bounced off the top of the wall.
Eliza Piggott went 2-3 with 2 RBI while Emma Andrews and Autumn Aliff each scored 3 runs. The Rams' Sam Merkelz made a huge sliding catch in center field to rob a hit in the fourth inning.
Grayslake Central (17-13) advances to the Antioch sectional to play the host and top-seeded Sequoits (25-5) on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.