Softball / Lake County roundup

Grant’s softball team has established a recent history of success in the state tournament.

The Bulldogs were up to their postseason heroics again Thursday, scoring 3 runs in the top of the sixth to upset second-seeded Prairie Ridge 3-2 in a Class 4A semifinal of the McHenry regional.

No. 3 Grant (13-18) earned a regional-final berth for the fourth straight year and will play top-seeded and once-beaten Cary-Grove at 4:30 p.m. today.

Prairie Ridge (25-7) took a 1-0 lead on Grant in the fourth inning, but Molly Smith started the sixth for the Bulldogs with her third hit off Wolves ace Kirsten Stevens. Winning pitcher Rachel DePouw followed with an RBI double, and Heather Graham’s single put Grant in front.

Kelly Kucharski followed with a single, and Nikki Nazario’s run-scoring hit proved to be the difference, after Prairie Ridge pushed across a run in the bottom of the seventh.

Smith finished 3-for-4 with 2 doubles, while Graham was 2-for-3.

Carmel 9, Stevenson 6: In a semifinal of the Class 4A Hersey regional played at Stevenson, Madeline Felipez went 3-for-4 with 2 runs scored and an RBI, and Amy Abel knocked in 3 runs, as the 11th-seeded Corsairs stunned the sixth-seeded Patriots.

Sally Snarksi had a single and 2 RBI and Kathleen Felicelli singled, scored and drove in a run for Carmel (13-20-1), which advanced to Saturday’s 9 a.m. final against Lake Zurich.

Stevenson (17-12-1) got a triple, double and an RBI from Ashley Niedermayer. Alyssa Vechiola was 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored, and Heather Cohen also had a triple for the Patriots.

Lakes 12, Johnsburg 2: At Richmond-Burton, the second-seeded Eagles won in six innings.

Lakes will meet its District-117 rival and regional top seed Antioch in Saturday’s 11 a.m. final.