DeKalb topples Larkin
One thing the Larkin softball team won't be accused of is giving up.
The young Royals were down 10-0 to DeKalb Friday going into the bottom of the fifth inning and easily could have packed it in, made their three outs and started their weekend.
Instead, Larkin fought back, scoring 5 runs in the inning to keep the game going, before eventually falling 16-11 in the nonconference game in Elgin.
"We finally got our sticks going," said Larkin coach Larry Hight. "Those first three innings everything we hit was right at somebody."
Larkin's problem Friday wasn't as much on the offensive end as it was with defense. The Royals committed 9 errors, allowing DeKalb to score 14 unearned runs off starter Anna Esterino and reliever Liza Smithberg.
The Barbs (5-6) scored once in the second inning and 3 more in the third and then broke the game open with a 6-run fifth inning that included four of Larkin's errors.
But the Royals (4-7) came back in the bottom of the fifth and finally got to DeKalb senior Lisa Oller, who was pitching with an injured wrist that was hit with a line drive on Thursday.
Junior Ashley Frey started Larkin's rally with a one-out single. Sam King followed with a base hit and Frey scored Larkin's first run on Nikki Rodriguez's single. After Ashley Oltman walked, sophomore leadoff hitter Corinne Wimmer (2-for-5) smoked a 2-run single to right field that also resulted in a DeKalb error that allowed Oltman to score. Wimmer went all the way to third during the sequence and scored on a wild pitch to make it a 10-5 game.
However, Larkin committed three more errors in the top of the sixth that allowed DeKalb to score four more runs and go ahead 14-5.
The Royals weren't done though. With Blair Hallgren in for Oller, the Royals put up another 5-spot in the bottom of the sixth to close the game to 14-10. Frey led off the inning with a walk, Rodriguez and Oltman singled and with Wimmer at the plate Frey scored on a wild pitch. Wimmer then ripped a 2-run double to left-center and she later scored on a wild pitch to make it 14-10.
DeKalb, though, added 2 more unearned runs in the top of the seventh and even though the Royals scored once and had runners at second and third in the bottom of the inning, Hallgren recorded a strikeout to end the game.
"(DeKalb) is a good hitting team and our defense didn't back up our pitchers at all today," Hight said. "I thought our pitchers did OK, we just made way too many errors."
Slugfest pairings: The annual Larkin Slugfest will be held Saturday, April 25 at the Elgin Sports Complex and Larkin coach Larry Hight released the pairings for the tournament on Friday.
Defending Class 4A state champion Lincoln-Way Central is the top seed and will take on No. 8 seed Hersey in the first round. Second seed Plainfield Central meets No. 7 Queen of Peace, No. 3 Palatine takes on No. 6 Oak Lawn, and No. 5 Larkin meets No. 4 Chatham-Glenwood in the other first round games.
Game times are 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.