Softball: Romanski makes successful return for Elk Grove in win over Fenton

It’s been a long road back to the diamond for Elk Grove junior softball player Kaylee Romanski.

Last July, she tore her ACL during a travel team game. But she was determined to get back to the field as soon as possible, putting in the hard work during rehab, keeping a positive attitude and pointing toward the future.

Monday afternoon at Fenton, Romanski found herself all the way back. She was cleared to play against the Bison, and stepped between the lines for her first competitive softball contest in eight months.

“It was great coming back,” she said. “It was good to be on the field, kind of like a mix of nerves and excitement, finally being able to step out there. I was a little nervous, but otherwise it was a great day.”

Romanski played second base Monday, and although she went 0-for-3 at the plate as might be expected after so much time not playing, she also drew a walk in the top of the fifth and scored a run that put the Grenadiers up 11-1.

Her teammates did the rest, scoring early and often in a 14-1, five-inning nonconference victory.

“She’s always been a motivator,” Grens junior starting pitcher Brianna Magner said about Romanski. “I actually have a physics class with her, so it’s great to see her in the classroom and on the field. She’s always positive, always smiling.

“Even when games aren’t the best, she keeps her head up and cheers everyone else on.”

Fenton came into the game having scored 67 runs in its first five games, leading the Bison to a 4-1 start.

But the home team couldn’t get anything going against Magner, who allowed only 3 hits and struck out seven to earn her first victory of the year. Elk Grove is now 2-1 overall.

The only tally of the game for Fenton came in the first, the sixth straight game where the Bison scored in the first inning.

“If we can keep that going,” said Fenton coach Dave Mello, “normally we’ll be in a good spot. It was nice to see a zero from them in the top of the first, and I thought, perfect, we’ll be locked into a seven-inning, 3-2 or 4-3 type of game.

“I was expecting something along those lines, but credit to Elk Grove. They’re the best team we’ve seen, and some of the balls they hit were the hardest hit balls we’ve been up against.”

Mello also said defensive miscues in the field hurt his team, and especially pitcher Isabella Delgado.

“In four innings (pitched), we only had her (Delgado) for one earned run, depending on how some of the plays got scored,” he said. “So you give up just one earned run in four, you hope to be in a 1-1 game. There’s just the small things we need to improve upon, but we’ll keep working and getting better.”

Elk Grove led 6-1 after three, then scored three more in the fourth and five in the fifth to take control. Aubrey McHorney led the attack for the Grens with 4 hits, while Kiera McHorney and Katie Wirtz had three base knocks apiece.

Sophia Hollis scored the only run of the game for Fenton, coming on a wild pitch.

After the game, Mello, an Elk Grove grad, gave props to his long-time friend and mentor, Elk Grove coach Ken Grams.

“He was my boys basketball coach in elementary school,” he said, “and he was my accounting teacher at Elk Grove.

“I've been to many of his (softball) games over the years, and that's where we get our get a girl on, lay down the bunt (mentality). Ken has been my role model since I got into coaching in the 90s.”