DuPage County softball notes: Furlano, Lake Park playing perfect so far

The Lake Park softball team is on fire.

The Lancers started the season 8-0, which included a 6-0 mark at the recent Ripken Experience in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee over spring break.

Pitching certainly has been eye-catching for coach Lynsey Gunnells’ squad. University of Chicago-commit and junior Gianna Furlano threw a perfect game in Tennessee against Twinsburg (Ohio), while freshman Maya Melendez threw a no-hitter against Bartlett prior to the trip.

In Furlano’s perfect game, she struck out 15 and threw 61 of 76 pitches for strikes. In the Bartlett win, Melendez fanned seven and walked one in 4 innings of work (16-0 Lake Park win).

Gianna Doyle is hitting .615 with 15 RBI in 26 at-bats, while Marissa Marciniak is at .364 with 15 RBI and 9 runs scored for the Lancers.

Addison Trail update: Madeline Housley is hitting a robust .692 with 3 home runs (1 grand slam) and 11 RBI to go with a 1.538 slugging percentage for the Blazers (1-5). Pitcher Giselle Ramos has 25 strikeouts on the young season.

Glenbard East update: The Rams are off to a hot 4-0 start and have outscored opponents 48-8 in those contests. Pitcher Claire Bolda has 39 strikeouts in 16 innings to go with a 0.88 ERA. Ally Amrhein is hitting .714. “Ally has a hot bat,” East coach Dawn Chantos said. Lilly Carver has 4 home runs in the first 4 games and is hitting .500.

Glenbard North update: The Panthers defeated Bartlett, Benet Academy and West Chicago by a combined 33-4 count to start the season 3-0. Pitcher Avery Miller is 2-0 and has not given up a run.

Coach Josh Sanew noted North has hit 8 home runs in 3 games. Maddie Wojtas had 2 homers against Benet, while Gianna Frcek had 3 homers in the first 3 games.

IC Catholic Prep update: The Knights, fresh off a successful spring break drip to Destin, Florida, were 7-1 to end last week. “We played some real good teams from Kentucky and Ohio (in Florida),” ICCP coach Frank Reaber said.

Ari Zito, Sofia Bucaro, Lexi Russ, Maddy Dinino and Kelly Cahill are “playing awesome,” Reaber said. “They are pounding the ball.”

Reaber added Dinino and Zito “are also pithing great,” he said.

Lisle update: Senior Erin Bradley is hitting .417 with 2 doubles, a triple and 4 RBI, while senior sister Megan Bradley is hitting .308 with 2 triples and 6 RBI for the Lions (2-2).

Metea Valley update: The Mustangs (3-3) have wins against Larkin, Elgin and Addison Trail. Freshman Lilly Aguilar is hitting .421 with 2 doubles, 1 triple and 7 RBI, while freshman Hailey Wisch is hitting .412 with 2 doubles and 6 RBI, and has a 2-3 record in the circle with 31 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings. Opponents are hitting .200 against her. Sophomore Maielle Ernser is hitting .412 with 3 doubles, 6 runs scored and 4 stolen bases.

Montini update: Broncos pitcher Cam Fox tied the school record for strikeouts in a game twice this season already. She struck out 15 against Nazareth Academy and Romeoville. Fox, a sophomore, recorded her 200th career strikeout while the team was playing in South Carolina over spring break. Fox has 7 wins and has fanned 84 in 45 innings, while hitting .487 with 19 hits and 10 RBI. “Cam has done a good job in the circle for us,” Montini coach Amy Bukovsky said.

Pitche Cedona Barrett threw a no-hitter against Aurora Christian. She has struck out 23 and is hitting .486 with 17 hits, 7 doubles and 10 RBI. “Cedona has also held strong in the circle for us,” Bukovsky added.

Aubry Raffen is hitting .436, while Bridget Ryan is hitting .400. “Aubry and Bridget have been performing well for us at the plate,” Bukovsky said.

Montini (8-3) recently played over spring break in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where it went 3-2 against teams from West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York. In Illinois, Montini holds wins against Nazareth (8-1), Waubonsie Valley (9-2), Aurora Central Catholic (10-1), Romeoville (1-0) and Aurora Christian (4-0). The Broncos lost 4-3 to St. Ignatius.

Naperville North update: Freshman Aubrey Marino had a game-ending 2-run single in the Huskies’ 15-14 win against Glenbard West at the Ballpark at Rosemont.

In that West game, Faelin Bretag went 4-for-5 with 3 runs scored and 4 RBI and senior Sarah Rossi went 3-for-5. Reese Pedersen went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI against Geneva.

Pitcher Gabi Chmiel has faned 25 in 16 innings, while Alexa Solbrg has a .778 on-base percentage and Lily Flavin is hitting .400 (third on the team) for the Huskies (2-3).

Neuqua Valley update: Ashley Pape has returned from injury and has done quite a bit of damage for the Wildcats. Pape hit for the cycle in her first game back against West Aurora (5 RBI). Pape is hitting .857 with 8 RBI, 3 doubles, 2 triples and 2 home runs. She broke up a no-hitter against St. Charles East with an inside-the-park home run over spring break in the Shorewood Dome. “Ashley has been producing consistently on offense,” Wildcats coach Samantha Rochowicz said.

Catcher Tegan Spellerberg caught a girl stealing at second in the team’s season-opener. “Tegan has been a vital component behind the plate and contributed to many outs in our first game,” Rochowicz said.

Also of note, Nalia Clifford is hitting .500 on the young season for Neuqua (1-3). “Nalia continues to be a vital component to our defense,” Rochowicz said. “She brings a strong softball IQ and senior leadership to the shortstop positions. She puts forth 110% effort and is always aware of different situations and plays. She is continuously helping and coaching other players on the team.”

St. Francis update: The Spartans started off 5-3 and recently spent 5 days in Cocoa Beach, Florida playing over spring break.

Junior Mackenzie Murlick has 4 homers and 11 RBI, while Lauren Kennedy is hitting .615 with 15 runs scored, 14 RBI and 15 stolen bases. Senior Lilly Konen is hitting .429 with 9 RBI.

“The team is certainly a work in progress,” Spartans coach Ralph Remus said.

Waubonsie Valley update: Center fielder Alyssa Tukker is hitting .524 with 11 hits (2 triples and 9 stolen bases), while pitcher Molly Quinn is 4-0 with a 1.20 ERA. She has struck out 50 and allowed only 13 hits. Quinn struck out 15 against Bolingbrook. The Warriors (4-2) also have 1-run wins against Bartlett and Geneva.

West Chicago update: In a game against Addison Trail, Lesley Garcia had a single and a triple, while Molly Fehrenbach had 2 singles and a double and Haylee Majer had a single and a double.

Sophomore Nora Delancey is hitting .455 with a .571 on-base percentage for the Wildcats (1-5).

“Nora has quality at-bats consistently,” Wildcats coach Mary Kate Dieter said. “She had a very long at-bat against quality pitching from St. Charles North and was one our only base runners because she earned that walk. Nora goes deep into the count and puts pressure on the defense with her speed.”

Dieter noted Sophia Ptak hit a home run against quality pitching from Barrington.

York update: York (4-3) had a come-from-behind walk-off win against St. Laurence and also beat Lincoln-Way Central in recent action.

Coach Lisa Fraticola noted senior pitcher Sophia Lanciloti is off to a great start, while junior Sara Steinecker has been hot offensively with 3 home runs.