Softball: Libertyville duo teams up to silence Prospect

Libertyville softball coach Dar Townsend was the head baseball coach at Warren High School from 1993 to 2008.

You might say that Libertyville senior catcher Maddie Kleemann is fortunate that was the case.

"My old baseball philosophy is that no one knows the pitcher better than the catcher," Townsend said. "The catcher knows what the pitcher is throwing and what works."

So when Townsend took the Libertyville softball job two years ago, guess who was calling the pitches?

"It's really so much fun," Kleemann says. "I'm so blessed that I get the opportunity to call the pitches for Taylor (Higham) and having that one-on-one relationship."

And it's been a long and successful relationship.

Saturday morning in Mt. Prospect provided more success for the dynamic senior duo, a pair of future collegiate players, who teamed up again to help the Wildcats to a 6-2 nonconference triumph over Prospect.

Georgetown pledge Higham and St. Ambrose recruit Kleemann, the No. 2 and 3 hitters in the batting order, have been the Wildcats' battery the past four seasons.

"It's been great because we really built a relationship over the four years and we are real good friends outside of softball as well," said Higham, who tossed a 4-hitter with 11 strikeouts. "We hang out all the time and it's just built a real good trust between us. I can tell her anything between innings, like what pitches are working or whatever. But I trust her."

Higham can also be trusted with her bat. She went 2-for-4 on Saturday, including an RBI double in the Wildcats' 4-run third inning.

"Hitting or pitching, she's really just a great player," said Townsend, who coached Minnesota Twins manager Derek Shelton during his career and had Wheeling softball coach Mike Caringella on his staff as the freshman coach. "She always seems to do something in the game.

"Taylor and Maddie as our battery are just so on with each other. They know each other so well and do such a good job. We rely on Maddie's knowledge and expertise and she knows Taylor better than anyone."

Kleemann also knows how to hit. She got robbed of extra bases in the first inning when her liner was caught by Prospect right fielder Taryn Sorenson. She then cracked a long single to right center in the third inning following a base hit by freshman leadoff batter and shortstop Addie Casey. McKenna Weaver, Ava Podolski and Juliana Figurelli also were part of six straight Wildcats to hit safely in the third inning.

Figurelli (2-for-4) , who gave the visitors a 1-0 lead in the second inning with an RBI line drive single to left, and Podolski (2-for-3, sacrifice bunt), also had multiple hits in the game for Libertyville (11-8).

"Ava and Juliana (sophomores) are starting to hit the ball," Townsend added. "We've struggled through the early course of the season and now we've got kids stepping up and putting the ball in play and being able to execute. We got a couple of bunts down, too, so that was good."

Libertyville scored its final run in the seventh when Higham led off with a single and eventually came home on a wild pitch.

"Taylor is starting to find her groove and has been phenomenal," Townsend said about his ace who owns an ERA under 2.00.

In terms of batteries, Prospect's experience was in complete contrast to Libertyville at the outset as Knights coach Krystina Mackowiak started freshman Charlotte Machel (3 strikeouts) with freshman Jackie Mercado behind the plate.

Senior Lina Calvacca (1 run, 5 strikeouts), whose catcher in travel league softball years ago happened to be Kleemann, threw the final four innings for the Knights (8-8).

"Their pitchers were good, they're a good team," Townsend said.

Mackowiak also praised the Wildcats' hurler.

"Their pitcher was good and it was obvious she and her catcher work very well together," said Mackowiak, a former standout ace for Elk Grove and Carthage College. "We just didn't push in enough runs on our end. And we gave them a couple of runs in the field. Lina came in for us and did her job very well. I felt we battled."

Prospect tied the game at 1-1 in the second inning, thanks to a home run by Maggie Marchialette (2-for-3, double) over the left-center field fence.

The Knights' other run came in the bottom of the seventh, thanks to Sorenson's sacrifice fly to right which scored Amalia Andrews who led off the inning with a double down the right field line.