Cook County softball notes: Pair of 1,000-game winners square off in historic matchup
When Barrington played at Elk Grove last week, history was made on the field between Grenadiers coach Ken Grams and Fillies coach Perry Peterson.
It was the only matchup in IHSA softball history where two coaches took the diamond with 1,000-plus career wins.
They brought the most wins (2,068) onto a field in one game — 46-year veteran Grams with 1,055 (most in IHSA history) and 34-year veteran Peterson with 1,013 (third most behind runner-up Randy Wolken of St. Joseph-Ogden who retired with 1, 044).
With his team's 9-0 start, Peterson hiked his career mark to 1,015-219-1.
Peterson and Grams, the two elder statesmen of the Mid-Suburban League softball circuit, have matched up eight times in the conference championship games since the 1993 season.
"What an honor it is to compete against Ken's teams each year," Peterson said. "He always does a great job getting the most from his team each season. I was thankful we were given the opportunity to travel to his school last week."
Schaumburg: Coach Ellen Abreu's Saxons were 4-0 to start this week, including wins over Buffalo Grove (7-1 score), Batavia (7-2), Larkin (14-9) and Hersey (6-1).
Freshman pitcher Alana Nieto got Schaumburg rolling in its season opener, striking out 10 while tossing a 4-hitter against Buffalo Grove. Senior Taylor Dolecki, an Arizona State commit, went 2-for-4 with 2 runs.
Against Batavia, senior Madison Linneman threw an 8-hitter with 5 strikeouts while Dolecki was 2-for-3 with 2 runs and 2 RBI.
Sophomore Sarah Donohue earned the win against Larkin while the offense was led by Nierto, who went 5-for-5 with 4 RBI and 3 runs. Other multiple hitters were Dolecki (4-for-4, 3 runs, 2 RBI), Linneman (2-for-3, 4 runs 2 walks) and Mia DiVincenzo (2-for-4, 2 runs),
Nieto earned her second win of the season against Hersey, striking out 15 and tossing a 3-hitter. Dolecki, who is batting .786, went 3-for-3 with 2 runs, 1 walk and 1 RBI.
Buffalo Grove: Northwestern pledge Erin Ryan is batting .571 with 3 homers, 6 RBI and 5 runs while freshman Annie Sadowski and junior Sammi Wolverton (2 doubles) are hitting .375. Bison coach Martha Kelly praised the work of sophomore Maddie Haber in the circle.
"Maddie has done a great job on the mound,“ said Kelly, who led the school's girls basketball team to the Mid-Suburban West crown this winter. "Through two games, she has an ERA of .538 and 13 strikeouts in 13 innings."
Maine West: In the Warriors' first game of the season, they posted a 6-0 win over Wheeling receiving a solid pitching performance from freshman Amanda Oshinski. She threw seven innings, gave up 4 hits with 10 strikeouts and 2 walks.
Hitting stars in the game were Kaylyn Catomer (3-4, 2 runs), Giada Lacopolla (2-4), Ava Roback (1-2, triple), Brooke Mattson (2 RBI, triple) and Amanda Oshinski (double, RBI).
There were also big plays in the field from Roback (catcher), Sammi Mattson (first basemen) and Kara Lindenmuth (shortstop).
"We are looking forward to continuing to work hard and keep getting better," said Warriors co-coach Chris Addante.
Wheeling: Wildcats coach Mike Caringella was quite happy with the effort he saw from his Wildcats (1-2) in their first three games with losses to Maine West and Conant (4-3 in six innings). The win came over Elmwood Park, a 10-9 walk-off decision.
"We are looking forward to competing in upcoming conference games," said the 19-season veteran Caringella, who added that freshman pitcher Olivia Aquino and sophomore catcher Caitlyn Fitzgerald have been solid offensively and defensively and seniors Alaina Costello, Viansa Pollina and Mia Smith continue to be team leaders.
Prospect: The Knights are off to a solid 3—2 start and continue to focus on improving each day. Coach Krystian Mackowiack says the pitching staff has been a major strength early on, consistently keeping the team competitive in every game.
"As the season progresses, the team is beginning to come together, developing chemistry and strengthening communication both on and off the field," she said. "With a strong foundation in place, the team is looking forward to the start of conference play and the opportunities ahead.“
St. Viator: It has been a rough start for Saint Viator having to postpone four games due to the weather and losing its starting pitcher to an injury.
The Lions (0-5) finally got outside to play games in Florida.
"On the bright side, l am very happy with our offensive production," said Lions coach John Scotillo. "Our pitching will improve as we play more. We came back with a big win behind pitchers Izzy Dimarco and Kylie Hughes at Resurrection. That was fun in that our freshman Lucia Perrone got to play against her sister Gianna (at Resurrection)."
Both sisters had two hits with Perrone belting a home run in the Lions' win.
St. Viator is hitting .381 as a team led by Ava Moreno (3 homers 10 RBI), Lia Horn (9 hits, 5 RBI) Erin Frugo (8 hits, 6 RBI) and Kayli Burke (7 hits).
Conant: Coach Allie Bauch got the Cougars off to a 3-1 start, the only loss coming in their season opener.
"Our defense has been impressive, committing only one error across all four games and getting us out of some tough innings," Bauch said.
At the plate, the Cougars have two hitters over .500 (Payton Ackman and Kiana Leopoldo). Pitchers Payton Ackman and Adler Long have a combined batting-average-against of just .173, keeping opposing hitters in check.
"I’m proud of this team for stepping into different positions and finding ways to get it done," Bauch said.
Maine East: The Blue Demons have lost their three games this season but coach Dani Asquini is seeing improvements in their play.
"We scored a couple runs against Hoffman Estates, with promising signs of offensive progress," she said. "Defensively, we are working to make the routine plays and communicate with each other on the field. This is another area we are beginning to improve in."
Ellie Miller had a hit against Hoffman Estates and Paris Kakares drove in a run, helping Maine East score its first runs this season.
Maine South: The Hawks are going to get their season underway this week. All four of their games have either been postponed due to rain, wind or cold temperatures.
"So for us, it has been 'Weather 4, Maine South 0,'" said Hawks coach Emmy Paiser. "We are looking forward to better weather."