Stevenson 5, Libertyville 0

Stevenson's softball team had lost eight straight games heading into the playoffs.

The Patriots needed a few things to go in their favor to break their slide on Wednesday.

The fifth-seeded Patriots got some solid defense from second baseman Traci Africk, and Allison Micucci pitched a 2-hit shutout as Stevenson shut out No. 10 seed Libertyville 5-0 in a Class 4A regional semifinal in Libertyville.

The Patriots (18-17) next play Palatine in the regional final at 11 a.m. Saturday at Libertyville.

Africk set the stage for the Patriots by making an incredible diving stop in the top of the second inning. She finished the play by making a throw from the ground to get the out.

"I like to dive and be in the dirt," Africk said. "It's fun and it's a big part of the game.

"I really didn't expect to feel (the ball) in my glove."

Africk also contributed with her bat, getting an RBI single to score Erica Castriano, as Stevenson took a 1-0 lead over Libertyville (12-18) in the bottom of the third inning.

The Patriots added another run in the fourth. Annalise Docel led off with a double and crossed the plate on Castriano's single.

Stevenson broke the game open in the fifth with 3 more runs. Amanda Jaegers had a sacrifice fly RBI and Africk scored. Courtney Belcastro scored on an error and Rebekah Ozga knocked in the other run with a single.

"The last few weeks we were not doing anything," said Stevenson coach Larry Friedrichs, whose team has lost several games by 1 run this season. "We're not a bad team. We just hit a bad couple of weeks. We've had good pitching.

"Our kids have a good perspective and know where our talent level is at."

Micucci (7-8) gave Stevenson a big lift in the circle. She had 6 strikeouts and walked one.

"This was my second-best game, for sure," said Micucci, who threw a perfect game against Mundelein earlier this spring. "We were focused out there. Having good defense got me going and it helped with those great plays."

Antioch 17, St. Scholastica 0: At Antioch, Samie Seamon and Ashley Mysliwiec homered, as the sixth-seeded Sequoits advanced to their own regional final.

Antioch (23-11) will play No. 3 Johnsburg at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Mysliwiec pitched the first four innings, striking out four. Olivia Deuhr struck out the side in the fifth.

Wauconda 9, Harvard 5: At Marengo, Katie Born went 3-for-4 with 2 triples, and Amanda Pausa and Rachel Hughes were both 2-for-3, as the seventh-seeded Bulldogs won their Class 3A regional opener.

Wauconda (19-8) plays No. 2 Marengo for the regional title at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Cara Nance (triple) and Stephanie Olson (double) also had extra-base hits for Wauconda, while Kayla Stos pitched 6 innings for the win. Michele Meyer added a single and run scored.

Carmel 8, Warren 2: At Lake Zurich, Kelly Gerli went 3-for-4 with 3 RBI, and Kelly Cook was 2-for-4 with 2 RBI for the Corsairs in the Class 4A regional semifinal.

No. 12 Carmel will play No. 14 Mundelein for the regional title at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Rachel Tack earned the win, beating Sam Berrios.

Huntley 6, Grayslake N. 1: At Grayslake North, Carly Borders was 2-for-3 for the Knights, who saw their season come to an end.

No. 5 Huntley will play No. 4 Marian Central for the regional championship at North at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Richmond-Burton 5, Lakes 3: At Amundsen, the eighth-seeded Eagles had their season come to an end.

No. 9 Richmond-Burton will play top-seeded Vernon Hills in the regional final at 11 a.m. Saturday.