Softball: Grayslake North authors another win

Named after the female character in Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "To Kill A Mockingbird," Grayslake North softball player Scout Kram has a good story to tell herself.

Her inside-the-park home run during the Knights' 13-5 win over host Wauconda on Wednesday is good material.

Her team, which owns sole possession of first place in the Northern Lake County Conference and is on the cusp of its first 20-win campaign under fourth-year coach Lea Corcoran, is quite the story too.

Grayslake North is 19-9 (the same record it had last year) and 9-1 in the NLCC after getting homers from Grace Brown and Nicole Hughes, as well, against Wauconda (3-13, 2-7). Brown (3 RBI), Meghan Delahunty (triple, RBI) and Kram each went 3-for-4 to pace a 16-hit attack. Faith Standerski and Hughes were both 2-for-5.

Grayslake North is scheduled to host Grant on Thursday and concludes conference play against Lakes next Thursday. The Knights were coming off a big win over defending NLCC champ Antioch on Tuesday.

"I think it's really exciting," Kram said of the Knights closing in on the conference title. "We've been working so hard and now we're finally in first after a long time. We just have to keep playing our game and working hard in practice."

Grayslake North's Jess Pozezinski and Evan Garrett were late arrivals to the game due to AP testing. Both players got in game and contributed. Pozezinski, who had 7 RBI against Antioch, added another when Kram scored on her popout to shallow center field. Pozezinski played center field the last four innings, while Garrett patrolled first base.

The two players got to the field while Wauconda was scoring a pair of runs in the third to go up 4-2. Grayslake North didn't take control of the game until the fifth, when the Knights scored 6 runs, getting back-to-back bunt hits from Kram and leadoff hitter Standerski (2-for-5) to set up the inning. Alyssa Carr's 2-run single snapped a 4-4 tie.

"It's just been our year where there's that one inning where things get behind us and past us a little bit," Wauconda coach Tim Orisek said. "But we're going to learn from it. We're going to keep getting better. That's all we can do."

The lefty Kram earned the win, pitching 4 innings in relief (1 run, 2 hits, 1 strikeout, 3 walks). She's one of five pitchers Corcoran has on her roster.

"Scout's been having a great year," Corcoran said of the 5-foot-5 junior, who also plays first base. "She's been hitting really well lately. She started out the year not quite getting the ball where she wanted it, but now she's seeing the ball really well and hitting everything hard."

The speedy Kram, who also bats left-handed, had a pair of bunt singles before coming to the plate in the seventh against Bulldogs freshman starter Rachel Peat. Kram hit a ball deep down the left-field line. As the ball bounced around in the corner, she flew around the bases and scored.

"It was like the perfect spot," Corcoran said. "With her speed, once she's running, make them make a play. If they throw her out, so be it."

"It was pretty cool," Kram said of her inside-the-parker. "I didn't think (Corcoran) was going to send me all the way home. I just kept running."

Wauconda's Calli Janik came within inches of hitting a grand slam in the first inning, settling for a 2-run single off the top of the fence. Janik, one of six freshmen on the roster, added an RBI double in the seventh. Hannah Miller also had 2 hits for the Bulldogs, who committed 3 errors.

"We're young," Orisek said, "and we're going to make our mistakes."