Lake County softball notes: Stevenson enjoys successful spring trip to South Carolina

The Stevenson softball team made the most of its recent spring break junket to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Coach Vera Pflugradt’s team recorded 3 wins at the Cal Ripken Experience, beating Trinity Hillers, Pa., 5-3, Kennedy Catholic, Ken., 13-8 in extra innings and Morgantown, W.V., 5-2, in a contest that also required extra sessions.

The Patriots were 5-2 overall after Myrtle Beach.

In the win against Trinity Hillers, junior pitcher Ava Potempa struck out 13. She also allowed 3 hits and no earned runs over 8 innings, while striking out seven and walking one in the win against Morgantown.

Aubrey Jepson drove in 4 runs on 3 hits, one of which was an inside-the-park home run against Kennedy Catholic. Addie Pak and Alyssa Shimanski each went 3-for-5 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored in the Kennedy Catholic game. Sophia Becker was 3-for-4 with a double in a game against South Fayette, Pa.

Pfulgradt noted Becker has been swinging a hot bat and has been solid behind the plate, while Potempa has shown great command in the circle and has been keeping hitters off balance.

“I’m impressed with our ability to play as a team, pick each other up and play hard the entire game,” she said.

Antioch update: While the Sequoits started the season off 0-2, coach Anthony Rocco has seen plenty of progress from a team with 5 new starters in the lineup.

For starters, Claire Schuyler (.400 batting average) went 1-for-2 against Hersey with a solo home run, 2 stolen bases, drew 2 walks and scored 2 runs.

Tegan Schuler hit .571 with 3 RBI and 2 walks in the 2 games, while Alyna Matarieh hit .500 with 3 runs scored and 2 walks. “Tegan and Alyna have started hot with the bats,” Rocco said.

Rocco likes the early showing of resilience by his team. Antioch was down 4 runs in each game at one point against a pair of teams ranked in the Class 4A Illinois Coaches Association poll, “and we battled back, especially with the new starters and inexperienced pitching. It also gave us a good look at what we need to improve on coming out of the break and facing 4 ranked teams.”

Antioch’s new pitchers also were up to snuff in the opening contests. Freshman Addison Osborne and sophomore Stella Dohrmann pitched a combined 7 innings against Rockton Hononegah and gave up 0 earned runs.

Coming out of spring break, Antioch faces Lockport, Huntley, Marengo and Crystal Lake Central in the span of a week — as Rocco pointed out, all ranked squads.

Carmel Catholic update: The Corsairs opened their season with a 9-4 win over Vernon Hills. Grace Brown had a double, a home run and 2 RBI and scored 4 runs, while Kaitlyn Konen pitched 7 innings and fanned five while allowing 2 earned runs.

“Grace has done a great job in the middle infield keeping balls from reaching the outfield,” coach Nicole Parney said. “She has a high IQ of the game in all aspects and helps motivate everyone on the field. Kaitlyn has displayed great composure on the mound and command of her pitches throughout the zone.”

Parney likes the Corsairs’ ability to find ways to manufacture runs on offense and play solid defense. “They have displayed good mental strength, which helps them keep their composure, focus on the fundamentals, and keep high energy throughout the game.”

Grayslake Central update: The Rams brought out the heavy metal in their season-opening 22-5 win against Lake Forest. Central had 19 hits in the game, 11 being of the extra-base variety.

Emma Andrews (3-for-3, 2 doubles, 4 RBI, 3 runs scored), Autumn Aliff, Keira Clark and Zalei Gryb (2-for-2, 1 double, 4 RBI, 2 runs scored) each hit home runs. Angela Ayala went 3-for-3 with 2 doubles, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored. Annie Wolff struck out four in 3 innings pitching and also had 2 doubles on offense.

“The at-bats from the first game top to bottom were impressive,” Central coach Jim Plaza said. “The girls have shown a great hitting approach during practice, and it was great to see it carry over to the game. This group is also highly motivated not to become complacent, and they show up at practice every day ready to improve and come together as a team.”

Grayslake North update: The Knights were off to a 4-2 start, thanks in part to the strong showings of freshmen Brena Dalton and Riley O’Brien.

Dalton hit over .400 with 2 doubles and 2 triples in those first 6 contests, while O’Brien hit .375 and was 2-1 in the circle with 5 hits allowed, 23 strikeouts and only 2 walks.

“We have a very strong group of freshmen that are complementing our returning varsity players very well,” North coach Amanda Rodriguez said.

Lake Zurich update: The Bears hit 6 home runs in their first 7 games. Kendall Hull was hitting .462 with 2 homers out of the gates and was playing solid defense at second base, coach Nicole Pieper said. Claire Kohlman was hitting .440, and “has been a wall behind the plate,” she added.

Lake Zurich was 1-6 overall, with a recent 10-9 win over Hersey getting it in the win column.

“I like our determination to get better and fight when things get tough,” Pieper said.

In a game against Mountain Home, Ark., in Tennessee, Hull went 4-for-4 with 3 singles, a home run, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored, while Kelly Selzer went 3-for-3 with a walk against Sardis, Ala.

Libertyville update: The Wildcats (2-1) have been paced by junior pitcher Taylor Higham, who was 1-1 with 26 strikeouts, while also hitting .545. Freshman McKenna Weaver was 1-0 in the circle with 11 strikeouts, while sporting a .375 batting average.

“This is a hardworking group that has great senior leadership,” Libertyville interim coach Dar Townsend said.

Lakes update: The Eagles started out 1-2 with a win against McHenry and losses to Cary-Grove and Libertyville. Coach Bill Hammill was impressed with the team’s win against McHenry.

Hammill noted catcher Zoey Christian and pitcher Eryn Olson are off to hot starts.

“I’m impressed by the dedication and willingness to learn,” he said.

Mundelein update: The Mustangs have continued their winnings ways, off to a 4-0 start, which included a 10-0 win over Grayslake North and a 5-2 win over Milford, Ohio, against the No. 20-ranked pitcher in the state of Ohio.

Mundelein has 4 players batting .500 or higher, led by senior Claire Connelly, who was hitting .583 with 2 homers, 6 RBI and 6 runs scored. Connelly now has 37 career home runs, breaking a 30-year-old school record held by Susan Musselwhite. Sophomore Taylor Pyke is hitting .538 (10 RBI, 6 runs scored), which included a walk-off grand slam against Milford. Kieley Tomas leads the team in runs scored (7), while pitcher Sophia Zepeda had fanned 32 in 22 innings to go with a 1.27 ERA.

“Our offensive power, consistent pitching and team chemistry have impressed me,” Mustangs coach Heather Ryan said.

Warren update: Annalise Stich had the hot hand for the Blue Devils through their first 3 games, going 6-for-9 with a homer, 4 runs scored and 3 RBI. Camryn Guldberg hit .625 on spring break with a homer and 2 RBI and also went 1-1 in the circle for Warren (1-2).

“Annalise and Camryn have had a great offensive start due to their hard work and determination at the plate,” Warren coach Jenna Charbonneau said. “Their relentless effort in the offseason is already showing.”

Charbonneau said her team is striving to get better each day. “We are working to find our groove together as a team and every player is working hard to win,” she said.