Softball: Cline, Barrington display their hitting prowess in win over Lake Zurich
Mimi Cline had plenty of people cheering for her on Friday when her Barrington softball team was going for a remarkable 23rd straight softball regional championship.
Her two sisters, who live out of state, and many of her father's friends were on hand at the Class 4A Lake Zurich regional.
And Mimi didn't disappoint them. In fact, the Barrington senior center fielder had them on their feet in her very first plate appearance.
Cline belted the very first pitch she saw over the center-field fence to spark a 5-run first inning, and the top-seeded Mid-Suburban League champions (31-3-1) never looked back in a 7-2 win over the No. 6 Bears (15-19-1).
Barrington advanced to its own sectional where it will face Hampshire at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Cline won her fourth straight regional crown with the Fillies, who have won 28 in program history.
“As the leadoff hitter, I'm always looking for a first-pitch strike, and most of the time I get,” said Cline, who has 11 homers this spring. “I think my first at-bat tells me what I'm going to be doing the rest of the game.”
Sure enough, Cline went 2-for 3 with a walk and 2 RBI to lead the offense, which also got a 2-for-3 performance by No. 9 hitter Liana Maggio, who also had a first-inning RBI.
In all, the Fillies had 7 hits in the first inning when they took the 5-0 lead highlighted by doubles from Reese Cullen and Shaylee Hiser and singles from Shannon Kenney, Maddie Van Ryn, Nina Brebach and Maggio.
“It was a good start,” said Fillies coach Perry Peterson, who has won 25 regionals in 33 years directing the program. “Mimi started out the game moving us in the right direction. That homer (the team's 49th of the season) got us going. I thought Katie (Taraschewsky) did a really nice job on the mound. She was very consistent.”
Just like the Fillies have been when it comes to winning regionals.
“I think it happens from our coaching staff,” Cline said. "(Mike) Freese (assistant) and Coach P do all the work, and like I said last week, they are the best coaches I've ever had. They do so much work for us. That's why we win.”
Lake Zurich coach Nicole Pieper brought sophomore Alaina Krzeminski in to get the final out of the first inning. She went the rest of the way, giving up 2 runs and 4 hits, including three scoreless and hitless innings to finish the game.
“Alaina did a great job,” said the first-year Bears coach. “I thought we competed the whole time. I'm very proud of this team. We are young so it's exciting for the future.”
The Bears got on the scoreboard in the third inning when Krzemsnki led off with a single up the middle. Junior third baseman Claire Kohlman delivered a two-out RBI single to center to make it 5-1.
Kohlman also made a nifty diving stop to her left of a grounder in the seventh inning and threw to second baseman Kendra Hull for a forceout.
“Claire has done an amazing job at third,” Pieper added. “All season she has been getting shots hit at her all over the place and she has done a great job at the hot corner. I'm proud of the whole team for its performance today. We hung in there from the beginning. We had a ton of huge innings where we did not give up runs.”
Barrington added its final 2 runs in the fourth, thanks to a one-out triple by Maggio followed by RBI singles from Cline and Harlow Engel.
Lake Zurich got its final run in the top of the seventh with a one-out RBI single to right center from No. 9 hitter Tessa Compobasso.
“Lake Zurich played well on this field this season,” Peterson said. “We knew it was going to be tough. We are excited to be part of the final 32 teams.”