Softball: Taraschewsky homers twice, pitches Barrington by Fremd for 20th straight win

Senior Katie Taraschewsky has won many softball games for Barrington with her right arm. The number is 77 to be exact.

But the Saint Michael College in Colchester, Vermont pledge is also capable of winning games with her bat.

Thursday was one of those days as the cleanup hitter smashed a 2-run homer over the center field fence to give herself a quick 2-0 lead over Mid-Suburban West rival Fremd en route to a 14-6 victory that took two hours and 45 minutes to play at the Fields of Dreams in Barrington.

"We took another step forward today," said Barrington coach Perry Peterson whose team moved to 20-0 and 6-0 in the Mid-Suburban West while securing 20 wins for the 33rd consecutive season. "It is never easy but our team does a great job battling to the end of every game."

It was Taraschewsky's fifth homer of the spring and drove home Hawlow Engel, who had drawn a two-out walk.

But that wasn't it.

Taraschewsky (2-for-3, walk) added another solo blast to lead off the bottom of the fourth, sparking a 4-run inning which made it 6-0.

On the mound, Taraschewsky (5 strikeouts) earned her 18th win without a loss.

"It gave me a cushion," Taraschewsky said of the quick 2-0 lead she gave herself with her first homer. "I said 'OK, we're good right now. We've just got to score more runs.' And we did. They were a tough team. We've just got to keep fighting the rest of the season and do what we do as a team."

Izzy Zwolinski added an RBI double to left in the fourth while Shaylee Hiser (3-for-4), Nina Brebach (3-for-4, triple), Emmy Zorzy, Lily Goshe, Lianna Maggio and Nina Brebach all had hits in the big inning.

Fremd (5-5, 3-3) scored its first 2 runs in the top of the fifth when it got a pair of doubles from Carolyn Caminiti and Suzana Grossman (RBI). Grossman came home when Audrie Corrado reached on a fielder's choice to make it 6-2.

Barrington added 3 insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth getting a 2-run double from Zwolinski (2-for-3, 2 doubles) with no outs. She later scored on a wild pitch to make it 9-2.

Fremd closed to within 9-6 with 4 runs in the top of the sixth, capped by junior Asha Shah's first career homer over the left center field fence. Avery Sheridan (1-for-1, 3 walks), Emily Usalis and Caminiti (2-for-3) reached base in the inning.

"Asha had two great at-bats," said Fremd coach Josh Teschner. "I hadn't seen a ball (her homer) hit that far for a while and in her other at-bat she really hit that ball hard (liner to right fielder Madi Van Ryn who also made a great diving catch)."

Barrington closed out the scoring with 5 runs on 2 hits in the bottom of the sixth as Brebach's RBI single made it 14-6.

"We talked about it all game long: control the controllables and fight," Teschner said. "Adjust to a great pitcher. Adjust to a great hitting team. And no question I thought offensively we fought all game. Defensively, though, we put ourselves in a hole. If you count everything, we had 7 errors and that's something you can't do against a good team. They're going to capitalize on it."

Fremd’s standout freshman centerfielder and leadoff batter Skyler Spedale broke her wrist and Teschner said she is scheduled for surgery Friday.

She injured it while diving for a ball in pregame warmups earlier in the week.

"Probably out six to eight weeks," Teschner said. "Incredible player. Without question she is very much the heart of our team which is crazy to say as a freshman. But she is that kid of a competitor."