Softball: Fremd and Barrington tie, will finish game at later date

A big turnout was on hand for Fremd's softball matchup against Barrington Monday afternoon despite the frigid temperatures.

And the Vikings welcomed their fans with a thrilling game in which the final outcome was undecided.

Sophomore Hadley Carter's one-out double to right-center field drove in the run to tie Barrington 7-7 in the bottom of the seventh inning, and that's the way it stood when the umpires and coaches met at home plate to suspend the game after the final out of that inning due to darkness.

The Mid-Suburban League West opener will be completed on a date to be announced later.

“We actually have a few days open on our schedule next week,” said Fremd coach Josh Teschner, whose team is 0-1. “I don't know if they do but it will be a fun game again. Hopefully the weather will be warmer.”

Barrington (9-0) scored three times in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly by Harlow Engel, an RBI double by pitcher Katie Taraschewsky and an RBI single from Shaylee Hiser.

But Fremd (0-1) kept getting close and finally tied the game 6-6 in the bottom of the sixth when it scored 3 runs, capped by junior Anna Montella's game-tying single.

“It was such a close game,” said Montella, the Vikings' No. 3 hitter who went 4-for-4 with her first homer of the season which got Fremd to within 4-3. “The first inning didn't go our way but we started to rally toward the end. A major part of it was the fact that everyone was hitting, not just the top of the lineup.”

Montella is now 5-for-6 for the season with a walk.

“Anna Montella is unquestionably one of those players you want every Viking to play like,” said Fremd coach Josh Teschner. “She does what you ask her to do at the plate. She works her butt off in the offseason. She is a multiple sport all-conference, all-area player and she is a tremendous softball player. She had an amazing day at the plate.”

Also sparkling at the plate for Fremd were freshman shortstop Suzana Grosman (3-for-3), freshman center fielder Skyler Spedale (2-for-4) and Carter (3-for-4).

Barrington's big hitter was junior third baseman Liana Maggio, who went 4-for-4 from the leadoff spot with a walk.

“I think it was a great game,” Maggio said. “Everyone was producing and fought hard. It was a really good game and I'm excited to finish it. I think the key for us was communication, teamwork and positivity. It's always a very competitive game when we play Fremd.”

“It was a typical Barrington/Fremd softball game,” said Barrington coach Perry Peterson. “It was a great game played by both sides and we look forward to continuing it at a later date,”

Other key hitters for the Fillies were Taraschewsky (2-for-4), Madi Van Ryn (2-for-4). Izzy Zwolinski had an RBI double while Emma Zorzy and Ava Glosny had base hits before Maggio had the big RBI single that gave Barrington a 7-6 lead in the top of the seventh.

Fremd tied it in the bottom half.

With a runner on second base and one out, Taraschewsky made a great glove stop to retire pinch-hitter Courtney Kubek on her sharply hit grounder before getting the final out on a pop-up to keep the score tied at 7-7.

“We definitely didn't look like a team that had played only two games,” said Teschner, who received 5 strikeouts from senior ace Molly Kanupke. “But as the game moved along, we felt like we were starting to pick up things up a bit and our overall approach to an all-state pitcher (Taraschewsky) was tremendous. From the beginning of the game to the end, we put a lot of great swings on her and kept the pressure on them.”