Softball: Meyer makes Barrington walk-off winner
Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Tori Meyer gave the Barrington softball team just the lift it needed.
The junior clean up belted a bases-loaded walk-off single to give the Fillies a dramatic 4-3 win over Warren in their own Spring Fling championship game on Thursday at the Fields of Dreams.
It was Barrington's 10th title in 12 years of its own eight-team event.
Jenna Patino led off the seventh with a base hit and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Katherine Stagnito walked for runners on first and second. Loyola-bound Abbey Jacobsen then delivered a single to right to load the bases.
The DePaul-bound Meyer the ripped a hard grounder up the middle scoring Patino and a hustling Stagnito to raise the Fillies' record to 4-0 on the young season.
That was hardly Meyer's only contribution.
The all-area basketball guard also showed her skills on the mound where she threw a 5-hitter with 4 strikeouts and 2 intentional walks.
Multiple hitters for the defending Class 4A third-place finishers were Samantha Murphy (2-for-2, double), Patino (2-for-4, double, 1 run) and Meyer (2-for-4, double, 3 RBI).
Warren slipped to 3-1 overall after taking second place for the third straight year in the Spring Fling.
In 2015, the Blue Devils were the only team to win the invite other than Barrington and Fremd, who won the inaugural event in 2005.
Fremd 7, Bartlett 0: Georgia Southern bound senior Jess Mazur (2-0) threw a 3-hitter with 9 strikeouts and also missed the cycle by a home run as she went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs.
The other Vikings with multiple hits was Mazur's Missouri Kansas City-bound catcher Lexi' D'Ambrosio, who went 2-for-3 with a home run and 4 RBI.
Mazur and D'Ambrosio accounted for all four of the Vikings' runs in the first inning.
Mazur's triple drove home Gianna Arniere and then clean up hitter D'Ambrosio belted a 3-run homer to give Mazur the lofty cushion.
Fremd (3-1) is scheduled to resume action after next week's spring break.
Hersey 12: Maine West 3: Hersey improved to 2-1 by winning the third-place game at Barrington's Spring Fling. Maine West (3-2) took fourth place.
Palatine 3, Grayslake Central 1: The host Pirates raised their record to 4-0 as sophomore Rhiann Dick (2-0) went the first five innings, striking out eight as the winning pitcher.
Sarah Grossman (2-0) notched the save, getting the final 4 outs, three on strikeouts.
Dick raised her record to 2-0.
"I was thinking about throwing strikes and getting outs," she said. "My defense worked well behind me. The offense hit at the right time."
Emily Parrott hit superbly, going 3-for-3 with a double and 2 RBI.
"I just wanted to come out and hit the ball hard and help my team out by scoring some runs," Parrott said. "I was proud of the second half of the batting order for getting on base and letting me do my job and score them.
Parrott and Maddie Craver have a hit in all four games this season.
The Pirates took a 2-0 lead in the second inning.
Amanda Stanczuk singled and was moved over by Grace Seiffert's sacrifice bunt. A single by Dick gave the Pirates runners at first and third before freshman Kaitlyn Reed drove in Stanczuk and Parrott drove in Dick.
The Pirates scored their final run in the fourth as Stanczuk once again singled to start the inning. Seiffert moved her to second and Reed got her to third before Parrott drove in the third run.
The Rams scored on a single a double in the top of the sixth. With two outs, they had the bases when Grossman came in for the save.
"I was really into the game while Rhiann was pitching so I felt like I was in the game the whole time," Grossman said. "I was ready to go in. Rhiann and I make a good team. She set things up well and we were able to work together for the win."
Libertyville 14, Rolling Meadows 4 (5 inn.): Sara Benner went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI for the host Mustangs, who also received a multiple-hit game from Schmit (2-for-3, double). Meadows Kendra Herring struck out six in five innings.
Ridgewood 3, Elk Grove 0: Senior Alyssa Malicki threw a no-hitter for the Rebels (4-0) with 13 strikeouts to defeat the visiting Grenadiers in the season opener.
Fenwick 10, St. Viator 6: Senior first baseman Haley Robinson had 3 hits for the host Lions (0-5) and teammate Mary Naughton doubled in 2 runs with her first varsity hit.