Cook County softball notes: Mazza blasts 3 HRs for Maine South; Prospect pitchers in a groove
Maine South's Aubrey Mazza had one of the top performances of the season for the Hawks last Saturday in a 16-2 win at Resurrection.
The senior (3-for-4) belted 3 home runs and collected 9 RBI.
"It was an incredible day for her," said Hawks coach Emmy Pasier about her third baseman who is hitting .415 with 6 homers, 26 RBI and 7 doubles.
The win over the Bandits pushed the Hawks record to 6-12.
"We continue to grow as a team, but the wins are not quite adding up yet," Pasier said. "Our team is doing well at the plate this season with a team batting average of .351.“
Six Hawks are batting over .350
Junior Riley Story is batting .467 with 9 doubles while sophomore Bailey Harman is at .425.
"I would love to shout out to my four seniors (Mazza, Ella Piazza, Emery Yates and Aribella Spandiary)," Pasier added. "They have done a nice job this year in keeping the team together, having fun, staying relaxed and learning the game. I wish them the best and look forward to the last few weeks with them before they fly out of the nest for the last time."
Barrington: Senior pitcher Katie Taraschewsky is the only senior who starts in the Fillies' infield which has helped the state's No. 1 team to a 30-0 record.
The Saint Michael’s College (Colchester, VT) pledge has provided the consistency and experience on the mound to keep opponents at 2 runs or less in 27 out of the team's 30 games.
Junior catcher Emma Zorzy, plus the core four infielders -- junior third baseman Liana Maggio, junior shortstop Shaylee Hiser, sophomore second baseman Morgan Donahue, junior first baseman Harlow Engel and Taraschewsky -- have propelled the Fillies to their 23rd 30-win season in school history.
Fremd: Mid-Suburban League playoff contender Fremd pulled out a 6-2 win at Conant to grab second place in the MSL West.
One player who helped the Vikes earn the spot in the final four is Audrie Corrado, who has been red hot with an OPS over 1.300.
"She is seeing the ball as well as anyone on the team and is leading us offensively and defensively," said Vikings coach Josh Teschner. "Over that time, she has made four catches at or over the outfield wall, including a home-run robbing catch against St. Charles North."
Ace hurler Molly Kanupke is 4-1 during that time against some of the best teams in the state (St. Charles North, Lincoln-Way East, Minooka and Conant).
Three-year varsity starter Amanda Poniecki is having her best 10-game stretch in the last two years, offensively and defensively. "Her lead-by-example attitude has set a tone for the younger, more inexperienced players," Teschner said. "Our players are clearly following her."
Prospect: Knights coach Krystina Mackowiak likes what she's seen from her team as the spring winds down.
"I am so proud of the way this team has competed and battled throughout the season," Mackowiak said. "We have been in every game we’ve played, and a number of players have stepped up in big moments for us."
Mackowiack added pitchers Megan Maresco and Lina Calvacca have done an outstanding job in the circle.
"They're keeping hitters off balance and limiting opportunities on the bases,“ she said. "We also had a big conference win against Conant last week where our offense came alive with 12 team hits. We are excited to carry this momentum into playoffs next week."
Buffalo Grove: Although there were losses in recent weeks, Buffalo Grove coach Martha Kelly said there were some moral victories.
"For example, we got the lead against Fremd before they tied it up and took a 1-run lead," Kelly said. "We battled back to tie it up in the top of the seventh only to lose in the bottom of the seventh.
"We battled vs. Niles West with the highlight being a grand slam hit by freshman Anna Schaaf. We took Barrington to 7 innings which I don't think very many teams do. We had the lead late in the game against Hersey and Leah Hampton hit a 2-run home run only to give up a big inning in the bottom half."
Although the Bison were 0-6 during that stretch after going 6-1, Kelly saw things she liked.
"Our downfall seems to be one big inning in each game — take them away and there are few games we would have come out victorious." she said. "We played good competition and we are battling which I am proud of."
Hampton, a senior, got her 100th hit of her career vs. Hersey.
"Erin Ryan has been seeing the ball really well," added Kelly about her Northwestern-bound junior who is hitting .750 over the past 2 weeks with 4 homers, 9 RBI and 9 runs.
Conant: Sophomore Payton Ackman and freshman Brooke Arndt lead the Conant offense, each batting over .400, while other Cougars are hitting above .300.
In the last 2 weeks, senior Kiana Leopoldo and freshman Morgan Schiffner have been on base more than 50 percent of the time.
Cailyn Kehoe got her first career home run to tie the game against Fremd and freshman Adler Long just surpassed 100 strikeouts.
The Cougars host their own regional next week.
"The girls are excited to make some noise,:" said Cougars Allie Bauch. "We are looking to put it all together and compete for a regional championship."
St. Viator: The last two weeks, the Lions' offense has been led by junior captains Ava Moreno and Kayli Burke, who reached her 100th career hit in her third season and 81st game.
Over that span, Burke is hitting .471 with 8 hits including 3 doubles. Ava Moreno has 10 hits including 2 home runs for a .476 average.