Lake County softball notes: Warren, Stevenson looking good in NSC; Antioch thriving against tough schedule

The Warren Township softball team got off to a hot North Suburban Conference start.

The Blue Devils (7-4 overall) were 4-0 in NSC action to start the week, with 2 of those wins coming against Mundelein and Stevenson — Stevenson’s lone loss as of the start of the week.

Pitcher Adriana Burke threw a shutout against Mundelein. She’s 5-0 with a 1.58 ERA.

Offensively, Annalise Stich is hitting .406 with a .750 slugging percentage.

Warren coach Jenna Charbonneau also lauded the efforts of Elle Armondo. “Elle has been a true competitor for us when she’s in the game, even when she’s in a base-running role,” she said. “She takes her role seriously and does it to the best of her ability.”

Antioch update: During 3 recent starts, freshman pitcher Pearl Wenzel went 2-0 with 32 strikeouts in 14 innings, including a 16-strikeout, complete-game effort against a ranked Crystal Lake Central team. Antioch won 4-0 against University of Illinois pitching commit Oli Victorine.

Last week, freshman Brooke White hit .545 with a double, a triple, a homer, 4 RBI, 6 runs scored and 3 steals in 5 games, while Tegan Schuler hit .500 with 2 doubles and 5 RBI while Sam Hillner hit .471 with 2 doubles, a homer and 5 steals for the Sequoits (9-2, 2-0 Northern Lake County Conference).

Overall, White is hitting .571 with a .636 on-base percentage (.893 slugging). White and Schuler each have 4 doubles, while Hillner has a team-high 3 homers and 9 steals. Addison Webb leads the team with 14 RBI, while Schuler and Hillner have each scored 14 runs.

Defensively, catchers Webb, Hillner and Kylie Pfleeger have not allowed a stolen base through the first 11 games. Webb has thrown out 6 runners trying to steal and picked off two more.

Addison Osborne is 6-1 in the circle with a save over 35 1/3 innings. “Addison has shown the ability to give us quality starts and close out games like last year,” Antioch coach Anthony Rocco said.

Wenzel is 3-0 with a save and has 44 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings to go with a 1.06 ERA.

Rocco also has been thrilled with super-utility player Addison Housh, who plays third, right and the designated player, while hitting in various spots in the lineup, as high as No. 2, cleanup and anchoring the bottom of the order. She’s hitting .303 with 2 doubles, 5 RBI, 11 runs scored, 4 steals and has committed no errors. “Regardless of where Addison is hitting or playing, she is the ultimate team player,” Rocco said.

Antioch has played 7 games against Illinois Coaches Association ranked opponents, going 5-2 with 6 of the games against Class 4A competition. Antioch is ranked No. 3 in the most recent ICA Class 3A poll. “Part of our team goals this season is to push the offensive envelope in terms of batting average, quality at-bats and stolen bases, and we are on pace to hit those goals,” Rocco said. “Our offense has bailed us out multiple times, including 4 come-from-behind victories.”

Carmel Catholic update: The Corsairs started East Suburban Catholic Conference play with a pair of wins against Joliet Catholic Academy. Carmel (4-4, 2-0 ESCC) also downed Wauconda 10-0 in a nonconference game of area neighbors.

Coach Nicole Parney noted Kate Buckingham is holding it down in center and covering a lot of ground, while Kaitlyn Konen is keeping the ball in the infield at shortstop and has great range, and Bella Cameron and Grace King continue to be a great battery together, she said.

King is hitting a team-high .526 with 3 doubles, 1 triple and 2 homers. Konen is hitting .500 with a triple, 1 homer and 9 RBI. Buckingham is hitting .474 with 3 doubles, 1 triple and 1 home run.

Parney added that Konen “has done a great job making clutch plays at shortstop, cheering loudly for everyone both on offense and defense,” she said. “She just returned from injury last week and hasn’t missed a beat after missing the first part of the season.”

Grayslake Central update: Junior outfielder Autumn Aliff hit 3 home runs against Antioch and finished last week hitting .643 with 3 homers, a triple, 4 RBI and 7 runs scored.

Junior infielder Reese Comerford finished last week hitting .667 with 2 homers, 2 doubles and 5 runs scored. Comerford also had 10 RBI over 2 games in a triangular against Libertyville and Evanston.

Overall, Aliff is hitting .581 with 18 hits, 4 home runs, 2 triples, 14 runs scored and 5 stolen bases. Comerford has 13 RBI.

Coach Jim Plaza was pleased with the varsity pitching debuts of Hadley Deets and Abbie Cashmore. “They have each shown that they are ready for the varsity level,” said Plaza, whose team started the week 2-9 overall and 0-2 in Northern Lake County action.

Grayslake North update: The Knights (7-3, 1-1 Northern Lake County) split a recent doubleheader with Lake Zurich. In North’s win against Lake Zurich, freshman catcher-third baseman Gabby Zapata had a game-winning RBI single in the eighth inning.

Brena Dalton is hitting .667 with 2 doubles, 3 triples and 1 home run, while Riley O’Brien has a 2.06 ERA and has struck out 49 in 34 innings.

Senior catcher Emma Spaw, coach Amanda Rodriguez noted, has improved greatly since last season. “Emma is also loud, positive and a leader on and off the field,” she said.

Lakes update: Last week, both Emily Byrne and Camy Lowery batted over .500 and both played more than one position, Eagles coach Bill Hamill noted.

“Emily’s defense and batting are on a great upswing,” said Hamill, whose squad was 4-3 overall and 1-0 in Northern Lake County Conference action to start the week. “Emily is an unsung hero for moving positions and battling through a hitting slump.”

Aubrey Murray has posted a 2.00 ERA in the circle in the early going for the Eagles, who recorded a recent 6-4 nonconference win against Carmel Catholic.

Lake Zurich update: The Bears (7-4 overall) started the week tied atop the North Suburban with Warren with a 4-0 record.

In a recent win against Zion, Juliana Kekstadt went 3-for-3 with a double, while Brooklyn Barber was 4-for-5 with a double. Barber also hit a homer and had 2 RBI in a win against Grayslake North. Kendall Hull had 3 hits, including 2 doubles against North, while Alaina Krzeminski had 2 hits, including a home run against North.

During a recent 4-game run, Barber hit .692 with 4 singles, 2 doubles, 3 homers, 5 RBI, 9 runs scored and drew 3 walks. Kekstadt hit .667 with 5 singles and a double, while Hull hit .600 with 3 doubles, 1 triple and a home run. As a team, Lake Zurich hit .441 during that 4-game sample. “It has been great seeing everyone contributing,” Lake Zurich coach Nicole Pieper said.

Pieper pointed out Kekstadt has been finding gaps offensively and has been solid on defense whether in the circle, first base or the outfield, “in addition to being such a positive and supportive teammate,” she said.

Libertyville update: Sophomore McKenna Weaver has been strong at the plate and in the circle for the Wildcats (4-6, 1-3 North Suburban). Weaver started the week hitting .414 and had 57 strikeouts in 36 innings of work. Senior Taylor Higham is hitting .524, while coach Dar Townsend noted freshman Addie Casey continues to stay hot, hitting .464. The Wildcats recorded recent wins against Grayslake Central and Glenbrook South.

Mundelein update: Senior Emily Courtney (Wisconsin-Stevens Point commit) has had the hot bat for the Mustangs, leading the team in batting average and on-base percentage, coach Heather Ryan noted. Shae Johnson struck out 11 in a win against Libertyville. Mundelein started the week 5-3 overall and 2-1 in North Suburban Conference play.

Stevenson update: Patriots pitcher Sam Gotschewski started the week with a 1.23 ERA in 17 innings of work. “Sam has done an amazing job stepping into pitch when called upon,” Stevenson coach Brandon Simmons said.

In a recent 10-0 win against New Trier, Dalya Barron went 2-for-3 with 4 RBI and had a 2-run homer. Jasmine Lucero is hitting .548 with 5 home runs. Stevenson started the week 9-1 overall and 3-1 in North Suburban action.

Vernon Hills update: Cougars junior centerfielder Maiya Andersen hit .526 during a recent 6-game run with 10 hits, including 3 doubles, to go with 6 RBI and 7 steals. “Maiya brings a steady presence to the outfield,” coach Jan Pauly said. “We look for her to maintain her batting average as we get into conference play.”

Freshman shortstop Brooke Gossett also has been notable. During a 6-game stretch, she raised her batting average to .400 with an .800 slugging percentage (8 hits, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 9 RBI). Gossett also posted a 1.67 ERA over the last 6 games “and has made some great defensive plays from the mound,” Pauly added.

Ashley Fayard was leading Vernon Hills with a .500 batting average to start the week, while Andersen was at .469 and Grace DeYoung was at .400. The Cougars started the week 6-5-1 overall and 1-0 in Central Suburban North action. Vernon Hills opened conference play with a 4-2 win against Niles West and scored a recent 23-3 nonconference win against Prairie Ridge.