Lake County softball notes: Grayslake North, Antioch off to fast starts

Strong pitching and hitting have helped the Grayslake North softball team jump out to a 5-1 record early this spring.

Coach Amanda Rodriguez’s squad also opened Northern Lake County Conference action with a 5-2 win over town neighbor Grayslake Central.

In the Central win, Riley O’Brien gave up 3 hits and struck out seven to earn the win, while Brena Dalton hit a home run.

“We play together and we support each other,” Knights coach Amanda Rodriguez said.

Dalton is hitting .715 with 2 doubles, a triple and a homer, while O’Brien and fellow pitcher Grace Hoker have a combined 2.21 ERA with 57 strikeouts.

Antioch update: The Sequoits were 5-1 through late last week with all 6 opponents being Class 4A teams and five being ranked in preseason polls.

Antioch holds wins against ranked teams Huntley (12-1), Loyola Academy (7-5), Yorkville (7-5) and Mundelein (2-1) with its only loss coming in a 6-4 setback to Lockport, which took fourth in Class 4A last year.

In the Mundelein win, Samantha Hillner went 2-for-3 with a double and a go-ahead solo home run in the sixth inning (after being down in the count 0-2). Hillner, who earned All-American honors last season, is hitting .471 with 2 homers, 5 RBI, 7 runs scored and 4 steals. “Samantha is starting where she left off last season,” Antioch coach Anthony Rocco said.

Rocco said defense has been a key driver in the early going. Antioch has a .962 team fielding percentage and 10 players on the roster do not have an error. Catchers Hillner and Addison Webb, two Division I recruits, have not given up a stolen base and have thrown out all 4 runners attempting to steal.

Antioch’s pitching staff has a 1.94 ERA. Addison Osborne is 4-0, while Pearl Wenzel is 1-0 with a save.

“Like typical Antioch teams, this group has been fun to coach so far and I love the fact, just like last year, that this group doesn’t get rattled,” Rocco said. “The depth has been a huge plus. We’re getting contributions from everyone on the roster.”

Freshman Brooke White has wasted no time making an impact. She is hitting .588, which includes a 3-for-3 effort against Loyola. She also had the game-tying double and scored from second on an error against Mundelein. White has a team-high 3 doubles, 4 stolen bases and has committed no errors at short and second.

Wenzel has fanned 12 in 12 innings over 4 relief appearances to go with a 0.00 ERA. Opponents are hitting .186 against her.

“Brooke White is on an absolute tear,” Rocco said. “Pearl has been a hammer in 4 relief appearances.”

Wenzel had a 4-inning save against Loyola and went 5 innings in relief against Mundelein to earn the win.

From the where are they now files, former Antioch standout pitcher Jacey Schuler recently started for Michigan State against Illinois in Big Ten Conference play. Schuler faced two of her former Sequoits opponents in Illinois center fielder Eden Echevarria and second baseman Gabby Debevec.

Carmel Catholic update: Corsairs pitcher Bella Cameron has done well in the circle thus far. “Bella has been in control on the mound,” Carmel coach Nicole Parney said. “She has been pounding the strike zone and getting ahead in counts and has great composure on the mound.”

While Carmel started 0-3, Parney explained the team has done “a great job of staying positive through challenging circumstances that have arose as we began our season,” she said. “We play as a team and everyone is supportive of one another.”

Lake Zurich update: The Bears (4-3 overall) are off to a 2-0 start in North Suburban action. Lake Zurich defeated Waukegan 18-0 and Libertyville 6-1. Over spring break, the Bears downed Riverdale (Tennessee) 3-0 and Kankakee (Indiana) 5-4.

In the Kankakee win, Brooklyn Barber hit 2 home runs. Cami Lewandowski went 2-for-3 in the Libertyville win, while Alaina Krzeminski hit a grand slam against Waukegan.

“Even though we are younger, we have stayed poised, supported each other and played and won some solid games against tough competition,” Lake Zurich coach Nicole Pieper said.

Barber, a freshman, had a hit and drew 3 walks against Libertyville. “Brooklyn has been crushing it offensively and defensively,” Pieper said. “She has made some great plays at short for us and has done a great job leading off our lineup as a freshman.”

Third baseman Claire Kohlman also has drawn high praise. “Claire also has been crushing it offensively and defensively,” Pieper said. “She has been a vacuum at third and she has done a great job of putting the ball in play and moving runners.”

Kohlman went 2-for-3 with 2 doubles against Waukegan and 2-for-4 against Libertyville.

Libertyville update: Sophomore McKenna Weaver is hitting .308 and has 28 strikeouts in 15 innings of work. Freshman Addie Casey is hitting .385 for the Wildcats (0-4, 0-2 North Suburban).

“We are a young team that is learning how to adjust to the speed of the game,” Libertyville coach Dar Townsend said. “We have a great leader in senior 4-year starter Maddy Kleemann behind the plate. This group is very coachable and working hard to get better.”

Round Lake update: Piper Berry struck out 16 and walked one over 6 innings in a loss to Woodstock. Berry is hitting .500 with a homer and has struck out 28 in 12 innings.

“Piper is pitching really good right now. She is hitting her spots and spinning the ball well,” Round Lake coach Dan Berry said.

Senior Ari Cabral is hitting .333 with 1 home run. “Ari has been a wall behind the plate for us,” Berry said. “Most importantly, she’s been the spark at the plate in both of our games.”

Berry noted the Panthers (0-2) have a young roster, but are improving. “Our players are working hard at practice and improving little by little every week,” he said. “They are positive and a fun group to be around.”

Vernon Hills update: The Cougars (4-3-1 overall) defeated Wauconda (8-3) and split a doubleheader with Prairie Ridge.

Thus far, Ashley Fayard is hitting .565 and was cited for strong outfield play, while Maiya Andersen is hitting .450 and also earned praise for her outfield efforts. Elizabeth Tsagalis is hitting .429 and Brooke Gossett has 3 wins in the circle. “It’s been a great team effort,” Vernon Hills coach Jan Pauly said. “We have strong team chemistry and are competing strong in all our games.”

Mundelein update: The Mustangs (3-2 to start the week) scored wins against Normal Community, Carmel Catholic and Zion and lost to Class 4A No. 20-ranked Pekin and Class 3A No. 4-ranked Antioch, both by a single run.

Sophomore Avi Perez hit a grand-slam home run against Zion and senior pitcher Shae Johnson struck out 13 in that game.

“After starting in a bit of a hitting slump, our team has put in the extra work to get our bats going again,” Mustangs coach Heather Ryan said.

Through 5 games, Perez had 2 homers and 6 RBI. Senior Emily Courtney (headed to Wisconsin-Stevens Point) was hitting .471 with a team-high 8 hits. Johnson had 47 strikeouts in 31 innings of work.

Warren Township update: Blue Devils coach Jenna Charbonneau noted her team is playing great defense at the start of the season. “We are making plays for each other. It’s great to see,” she said.

Those off to hot starts for Warren (3-3, 1-0 North Suburban) include freshman utility player Peyton Nissen and senior third baseman Mia Meno.

“Peyton is having great at-bats and her time to win those at-bats is coming,” Charbonneau said. “She is also playing lights-out defense at multiple spots on the field. Mia is battling hard for every at-bat and coming up and driving runs in when we need her. She is coming into her own as a leader on the team.”