Second straight regional title for South Elgin

Building a program means creating traditions.

For the South Elgin softball team winning regional championships is becoming a tradition.

The Storm defeated Larkin, 6-0, on Saturday to earn the Class 4A Streamwood regional title, their second in as many seasons.

"I told them the first day of tryouts championships were going to be the goal," Storm coach Jason Schaal said. "I'm happy for the school. I'm happy for the girls. It's all for them. Everything is for them. To be the first team to bring not only one but two regional plaques back to the school is something to be proud of."

With the victory, South Elgin (23-12) tied the school record for wins, a mark set last season when the Storm advanced to the sectional championship game. They will go for win No. 24 on Wednesday against Prairie Ridge (31-6), a team South Elgin beat twice earlier this season, in the Class 4A Woodstock sectional semifinals.

"That is what we're here to do," South Elgin senior Kim Pierce said of another regional championship.

The Storm took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning after back-to-back singles by Pierce and Lauren Vitiello with two outs. Pierce then scored on a wild pitch. The lead increased to 3-0 in the second on a run-scoring single by Katelyn Stonecipher and a sacrifice fly by Caitlin Stredde.

Pierce made it 5-0 with a 2-run double in fourth. Rae Bosteder's run-scoring single in the fifth completed the scoring.

"We didn't come out flat today," Pierce said. "We prepared for the type of pitching that we were going to see. We came out and did our job, which was hit and score."

Stonecipher, Pierce, Vitiello, Bosteder and Shannon Conway each had 2 hits for the Storm.

The Royals (7-22) managed only 4 hits off Cary Thereon, who was pitching for the first time in 12 days after taking a line drive off her knee against Waubonsie Valley. Larkin's best scoring opportunity came in the second. Megan Johnson and Sam King, who had 2 hits, had back-to-back singles to open the inning. But the Royals were unable to get them across the plate.

"I think taking the break really helped," said Thereon, who walked two and struck out one. "I got to rest a little. My muscles got to heal. Any injury's got to heal. I was refreshed."

Johnson suffered the loss. The sophomore allowed 6 runs, 4 earned, struck out one and did not walk a batter.

"We improved on our record from last year (6-23)," Larkin coach Larry Hight said. "With the youth I've got I feel pretty good about it."