Cygan, Fillies open with win
Playing their first game since the Class 4A state title contest last spring in East Peoria, the Barrington Fillies softball team opened the 17th season under coach Perry Peterson with a 2-1 victory over Glenbrook North in an opening-round game of the annual Spring Fling tourney.
Kim Cygan, who pitched the Fillies to the state runner-up in 2008, was the winning pitcher again Monday at the Fields of Dreams and also the game's hitting star.
The senior standout blasted a one-out, 2-run homer to left-center, breaking the scoreless tie in the top of the sixth.
Senior Lindsey Dulla reached on an infield single just before Cygan stepped in for her dramatic clout.
The Spartans answered with their only run off Cygan in the bottom of the sixth.
Cygan finished with a career-high 14 strikeouts while walking three.
Peterson came to within 2 wins of notching his 500th as a varsity softball coach.
Sophomores Colleen Shandley and Kiersten Tinkoff also had hits for the Fillies, who will face Warren in today's 4:30 p.m. semifinal.
The other semifinal will match Zion-Benton and Lake Zurich, which defeated Hersey 7-3.
The Zee-Bees defeated Maine West 4-1 despite senior Emily Ott's 10 strikeouts for the Warriors.
West scored its only run in the first inning when Michelle Marlega led off with a walk and stole second. Angela Cruz followed with an infield single which brought home Marlega. Cruz then scored on Kaleigh McGing's groundout.
Ott had the other hit for West.
Fremd 7, Grayslake Central 1: Fremd opened its season as Lena Brottman fired a 3-hitter with 14 strikeouts, 4 shy of her career-high 18 which came in an extra-inning game last spring.
The junior right-hander gave up an unearned run and walked two.
She got all the runs she would need in the second inning when cleanup hitter Jessica Tackett (2-for-4, 4 RBI, 2 RBI) belted a 2-run homer over the center-field fence with two outs.
Junior Jenny Schneider (3-for-4, 2 runs), who had a pair of doubles, was on base for Tackett's blast.
Junior Tess Dinterman also doubled for the Vikings, while sophomore Allie Gaeding (2-for-2, 2 walks) reached base in all four of her plate appearances.
All-area third basemen Kelly Voigt did not play.
Vikings coach Jm Weaver expects her back in action in about two weeks as she recovers from a strained forearm.
Senior Casey Latal handled third base Monday.
"We made some mistakes but we'll get better," Weaver said.
"They (Grayslake Central) had two good pitchers who mixed it up well. So we had to think and react to some things, which was good for us."