Spartans showing no fear during winning streak

Ralph Remus went to the mound after a leadoff double in the seventh inning of a one-run game with rival Benet.

The St. Francis coach was ready to impart a few soothing words to his pitcher. They weren't necessary.

"The kids were all calm," he said. "There was nothing I had to say."

The Spartans held on for the win Friday, their 10th in a row. A team that was 13-18 last season is already well ahead of that pace at 12-2.

"We have a very young team," said Remus, who has just one senior and three juniors, "but they have no fear. They just go out and play."

Senior catcher/first baseman Jenny Eldridge is hitting over .400, junior third baseman Kelcey Fabianski nearly .400, sophomore first baseman/catcher Emily Karpinski over .400 and freshman second baseman/outfielder Bri Pasquale over .400. Sophomore Taylor Ronchetto struck out 12 in a win over Chicago Christian and followed that up with nine punchouts against Montini. Leadoff hitter Paige Davis is playing a solid shortstop.

Remus pointed to a 9-2 win over Timothy Christian as another key win for his kids. St. Francis trailed 2-0 in the fourth inning of that game.

"The first time through the order we didn't touch their pitcher," Remus said, "but they didn't give up and the second time they hit the ball hard."

Putting up goose eggs: If there was one pitch Hannah Santora wishes she could have back this season, it's probably a two-strike offering that Bartlett's Callie Dennison belted for a two-run, game-winning homer.

Santora's been perfect since then.

Glenbard North's senior pitcher has hurled five straight shutouts since the loss to Bartlett on April 2. She is now 5-2 with an ERA under 0.50 for the 7-3 Panthers, who have won seven of their last eight.

"She's been on a tear lately," Panthers coach Josh Sanew said. "Her biggest thing is she's been getting ahead of the count. And when she does get ahead, she doesn't make a mistake 0-2."

That last detail was a bit of a bugaboo for Santora last year. Not so this spring. And she hasn't been beating up on below average teams. Santora struck out 14 in a shutout of Oak Park and fanned 11 in no-hitting Schaumburg. Sanew said that Santora works well with senior catcher Bri DiGioia, whom he estimates has played with Santora "since the sixth grade."

"Bri calls the pitches for the most part." he said. "They have a nice feel for each other. What makes Hannah dangerous is she can throw any pitch at any count."

That good pitching is complemented by junior shortstop and RBI leader Jenny Nelson, hitting over .350 with 4 home runs.

"If we can get anybody on base for those two (DiGioia and Nelson," Sanew said, "we're awful tough."

Yeah, that Boudreau: If Neuqua Valley sophomore Jena Boudreau's last name rings a bell, you guessed right. She is the granddaughter of Hall of Fame shortstop Lou Boudreau.

"I get it all the time," Jena said. "A lot of my teachers ask."

Lou Boudreau played from 1938-52 for the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox, and he was also player/manager for the Indians. He also managed the Red Sox, Kansas City Athletics and finally the Chicago Cubs in 1960 and broadcasted games on radio for the Cubs. Jim Boudreau, Lou's son and Jena's dad, was drafted by the Cubs and played for five years in the minors.

"It was a big influence on my life," Jena said. "I grew up around baseball. My dad and I always played catch when I was younger."

Lou was able to see his granddaughter play youth softball before he passed away in 2001. The family is also good friends with ex-Cubs Ron Santo and Ernie Banks.

"They always tell stories about my grandpa," Jena said, "and they said that I kind of look like him and have the same kind of personality. And I also inherited his bad knees."