Softball: Barrington’s undefeated season ends at 4A supersectional

The Class 4A softball supersectional played at Mary Bell Field on the campus of Northern Illinois University Monday afternoon was a rematch of the two schools who had met for the 4A state crown the previous spring.

This time, however, both reigning champ Oswego and the team it beat for the title, Barrington, were battling to leave DeKalb with both a rectangular championship plaque and an accompanying ticket to the finals this weekend in Peoria.

Unfortunately for a Fillies squad who came into the game undefeated at 36-0, they found themselves in a very rare position of having to play catch-up with a red-hot Panthers unit that had won 11 of its last 14 coming into the contest.

Despite Barrington’s best effort to a mount a comeback, Oswego (23-11) held on for a 7-5 win to continue the defense of its title Friday afternoon in the 4:45 game at the Louisville Slugger complex where they will face Mundelein.

"There's a lot to be proud of,“ Barrington coach Perry Peterson said. ”It was a great season. No team has ever been 36-1 in 58 seasons of softball at Barrington High School."

Mundelein (22-5) defeated Chicago Lane Tech (22-10) 3-0 at the Ballpark of Rosemont Monday afternoon.

Panthers senior first baseman Ahlivia East was the game's difference maker as she connected on a pair of 2-run doubles.

The first one came with the Panthers up 1-0 in the top of the first that scored third baseman Sophie Morland and starting pitcher Jaelynn Anthony for a 3-0 advantage.

Shortstop Kennedy Gengler would bring East in with a single that put them up 4-0 before the Fillies got up to bat.

After Barrington (36-1) closed to within 5-3 on a three-run Harlow Engel double in the bottom of the third, East's second two-base hit off starting Fillies hurler Katie Taraschewsky in their half of the fourth brought in second baseman Adalynn Fugitt and courtesy runner Jenna Blaskey to put Oswego up 7-3.

"We had a game plan coming in where we knew their pitcher was focusing more on (the) outside, so I just sat inside waiting for the right pitch," East said of her appoach to facing the 32-1 Taraschewsky.

After Engel's fourth RBI of the day off a single closed the deficit to 7-4 in the bottom of the fifth, Barrington would get one more chance in the last half of the seventh.

A Madi Van Ryn single brought in fellow outfielder Nina Brebach to narrow the deficit to 7-5 putting runners at first and second with one out.

The Panthers would get out of the jam as Anthony fanned pinch-hitter Ava Glosny and then got infielder Shaylee Hiser to ground out to second to end the Fillies' season.

Peterson spoke highly of his team a short time after consoling them in their dugout.

"There's no quit in these kids,“ Peterson said. ”(They) keep competing and working hard. Obviously we wanted to win, but they played better than we did and deserved to win. Hats off to them (Oswego) and I hope they do well this weekend.“