Elk Grove meets Schaumburg’s challenge
Two bullets, a dominant pitching performance and a vacuum cleaner at second base helped Elk Grove capture a regional softball championship Saturday afternoon.
The bullets were line-drive homers off the bat of Krista Soesbe in the first inning and Devan Parkison in the second. Soesbe’s 3-run job erased a 2-run deficit and Parkison’s padded the lead just enough for Dani Goranson to settle down and deliver the dominant pitching for which she has become known.
As for the vacuum cleaner, that was second baseman Becca Maher. She handled four straight chances from the fifth inning into the sixth, including a diving stop that might have ignited a Schaumburg rally in the sixth and preserved a 6-2 Class 4A regional title win at Elk Grove.
The Grenaders (28-8) will meet Fremd in a Barrington sectional semifinal Thursday.
“Krista’s done that before when we’ve been in the hole,” Elk Grove coach Ken Grams said of his 3-year starting shortshop. “She’s a good one to have coming up in that situation.”
Parkison delivered a 2-run bomb to left in the bottom of the second after Maher and Goranson had singled with two out.
Goranson had uncharacteristically hit a batter and surrendered 3 hits and 2 runs to open the game, so the two homers gave her some space to settle down. Only three more runners reached base after a first inning in which Schaumburg’s Courtney Plackner got nicked, Dana Giannelli and Hannah Kerr plunked home singles and Shannon Felde had a sacrifice fly.
“When you’re pitching with the lead, there’s a little bit of room,” to get into a groove, Grams said of Goranson.
“I knew we had to come back,” Soesbe said of her homer, her first this season. “I was just trying to put the ball in play.”
Schaumburg (18-15) probably played better than the final score indicated and had a golden chance in the fourth with two aboard after Courtney Raschk singled and Rene Kakareka walked. But Goranson handled Kirsten Safley and Plackner from there en route to retiring the final 11 she faced.
Schaumburg coach Ellen Stoddard was proud of her team’s effort though, and also the season’s second half in which they played so well.
“We put balls in play,” Stoddard said. “Their second baseman (Maher) had a big day.”
As for Kakareka, who led the team’s second-half surge, “She’s had quite a run this year,” said Stoddard after her senior hurler really threw just two mistakes all day.
Elk Grove has its place in a sectional loaded with quality teams. Whatever happens, this is a team that looks forward to facing the challenge together.
“Most of us are seniors,” Soesbe noted. “We’ve been playing together a long time.
“I love this team.”