Softball: Barrington scores early, handles Hersey for 24th straight win
Barrington just can’t seem to lose.
Bolstered by a 5-run first inning, the Broncos (24-0, 8-0) secured a 13-2 run-rule victory over Hersey (7-9, 2-5) on the road amid gloomy, light rain conditions.
“It was a good game between two schools competing at a high level,” Barrington coach Perry Peterson said. “That first inning made a really big difference in the ballgame. [We’re] trying to win every inning. If you look at the scoreboard, we won the first, we won the second, we tied the third, we won the fourth, and we won the fifth.”
The Broncos first got on the board with a single from Madi Van Ryn, a Quincy University commit, which drove in Nina Brebach and Harlow Engel.
Vivian Bernardi — a courtesy runner for pitcher Katie Taraschewsky — brought the score to 3-0 by scoring on a wild pitch, and Izzy Zwolinski would bring home Van Ryn and ultimately score herself for the 5-0 inning.
“You’re playing on the road in the MSL, you better come out early and get something going, get some momentum going,” Peterson said. “To the credit of our girls, they had a nice start to the ballgame.”
Ava Schafernak stepped up for the Huskies’ first at-bat of the contest and drilled a home run to center field, scoring one of the two Hersey runs.
The foot remained on the pedal for Barrington, which added two runs in the second frame. A double by Taraschewsky scored Liana Maggio and Engel.
Pitching then became dominant. Taraschewsky pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the second and the bottom of the third, while Hersey’s Raluca luhas pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the third to halt the Broncos’ offensive onslaught.
The contest marked the 21st win of the season for Taraschewsky, who is committed to Saint Michael’s College. It also marked Taraschewsky’s 80th career win, tied for second in program history.
“Katie Taraschewsky is a proven senior, and she’s done an amazing job,” Peterson said. “She’s savvy, she’s competitive, and her teammates believe in her, and that’s maybe the most important thing as a factor.”
Barrington found its offensive form once again in the fourth inning, as Van Ryn hit a home run to center field to score Brebach and Engel. Van Ryn finished the contest going 2-for-3 at the plate with 4 RBI.
The Huskies added a run in the fourth inning, as Jillian Wandler scored off a single from Angela Colleti.
Searching for a run-rule victory, Barrington found it with three runs in the fifth inning. Engel, a Wichita State commit, launched a three-run home run to score Ava Glosny and Maggio and take a 13-2 lead. Engel finished the day with a team-high four runs, going 4-for-4 at the plate.
Taraschewsky capped off the contest with another 1-2-3 inning, ending with a strikeout.
Thursday’s result was monumentally different from when Hersey faced the Broncos on April 9. Barrington — a team that has had just six games decided run by five runs or fewer amid its undefeated season — won the affair 5-1.
“They swing big bats,” Huskies coach Molly Freeman said. “I thought their bats came out really hot, and they started really scoring from the first inning. I thought we had a good hitting approach on our end too and some good, quality at-bats. Their bats are tough. They swing big bats.”