Tough season comes to end for Driscoll
The emotional roller coaster the athletic teams at Driscoll High School have been on the last two months made its final stop Saturday.
The Highlanders' softball team was the school's last team standing in the IHSA postseason, and they fell 3-1 to St. Edward in the championship game of the Class 2A Driscoll regional in Addison.
It was an emotional day for Driscoll's team, coaches and a large crowd supporting the Highlanders. With the school now closed, the athletic fields at the Addison campus will be left vacant come this fall.
"It's a tough day," acknowledged Driscoll coach Frank Reaber. "Coming down to the last couple of innings the kids knew if we lost it was the end. They didn't give up, though, and I'm proud of them. We knew (St. Edward) was no better than us. They just had the right things happen at the right time.
"It's been an emotional couple of months to keep them together mentally. With so much going on it's been hard to stay focused."
Junior pitcher Breaunna Medinger, who allowed St. Edward just 5 hits, agreed.
"It's upsetting for us," said Medinger, who confirmed that she and teammate McShane will transfer to St. Edward. "It's the last time for us to be on this field together. We played our hearts out on our home field and that's what you want.
"The last couple of months have been very hard for all of us. It's been an emotional roller coaster. It's been hard to stay focused, but we did our best."
Megan Smith's two-out triple drove in Madeline Foehringer with the go-ahead run in the fifth inning for St. Edward (19-12), which will play Lisle (25-10) at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the Class 2A Lisle sectional at Benedictine University.
The Green Wave also got a huge game from junior ace Sarah Field. She allowed just 2 hits and, retired 13 of Driscoll's final 14 batters. After working out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the first, she allowed the Highlanders (10-21) only an unearned run in the third. That came when Lisa Matsie walked, went to third on McShane's single and scored when St. Edward failed to cover second base on McShane's ensuing steal attempt. Matsie scored to make it a 1-1 game but Field got Allie DiVito to ground out to Wolf at short to end the threat.
From there Field allowed Driscoll only one more baserunner the rest of the way and her defense was flawless.
"We hit the ball hard, they were just positioned right," Reaber said. "We played well."
St. Edward scored in the first inning when Kristi Knott led off with a single and went to third when Driscoll's outfield misplayed her hit. After Smith reached on a fielder's choice, Brockner drove Knott home with a groundout to short.