Softball: Hersey clinches 2nd straight MSL East championship with victory against Prospect
After coming back from an improbable late-game 7-run deficit two weeks ago to edge Prospect, you knew Hersey's softball team didn't want to find itself trailing on Monday with the Mid-Suburban League East Division championship on the line.
This time coach Molly Freeman's Huskies broke on top 4-0 after three innings and never looked back in a 6-1 victory for junior pitcher Gabby Felman to win their second straight MSL East crown.
Hersey (18-8, 12-4) finished two games ahead of Prospect (21-10, 10-6) and will host West champion Barrington (28-2-1, 16-0) in the 51st MSL championship game at 4:45 p.m. Thursday.
“This time we started out really strong and had a lot of energy going out there,” said Felman, who tossed a 4-hitter to raise her record to 9-2. “It was just the energy we brought this time.”
Felman also brought her bat, going 2-for-2 with a walk, 2 RBI and a solo homer over the center field fence that made it 4-0 in the third inning.
“Gabby was really confident in her pitches,” said Hersey coach Molly Freeman of her right-hander, who also got the win in the first game against Hersey. “She threw really hard, which helped when she mixed it up with her change-up around the middle of the game.
“When we started the season, Gabby really wanted to just throw outside, and she knows now her strength is to be able to throw a mix of her pitches and keep batteries at bay. And she does that very well not only with her strength but her mound presence. She is very capable out there.”
Prospect started the game with hits from sophomore leadoff batter Gabby Dilan and Julia Nay, but Felman retired the next batters and went on to strike out five for the game.
Hersey's bats came to life in the second inning with two outs when Anna Baroud singled to center and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After leadoff Abby Stonequist drew a walk, Shortstop Grace Grabowy belted a 2-run stand-up double over the right fielder's head to score Baroud for the only runs Felman needed.
The Huskies scored twice in the third on Reese Izenstark’s fourth home run, followed by Felman's sixth of the season.
Izenstark missed the cycle by a triple, getting a double to lead off the fifth inning.
She came home to score on Felman's single to left, and then with two outs, catcher Bryce McGuinn delivered an RBI single to left for the 6-0 cushion.
Prospect scored its only run when Libby McDonough scored in the top of the seventh when Nay reached on an error following a single by Dilan.
Izenstark also sparkled on defense, making three hustling catches in right field to prevent hits from catcher Gianna Catanzano, starting pitcher Lina Calvacca and shortstop Liz Aicher.
“Their right fielder had a phenomenal game,” said Prospect coach Krystina Mackowiack. “I thought she made some great catches. I don't ever count us out of a game, but they made a lot of defensive plays that took us out of what could have been big innings.”
Dilan had the catch of the game after Hersey belted the back-to-back homers. The second baseman robbed Payton Kee when she drifted out to shallow right center and with her back to the ball, dove forward and made a terrific scoop catch in front of her body with her outstretched glove.
“Gabby is amazing,” Mackowiack said. “She's an offensive threat and defensive threat, making all the plays. She's having a phenomenal season.”