Frenetic finish lifts Fremd
Fremd's softball team capped its regular season in style on Friday.
The Vikings took advantage of the chance to move a home game with Maine South to The Ballpark at Rosemont, home of the Chicago Bandits professional softball team.
"We had all the lower-levels there wearing matching T-shirts so it was pretty cool," said Vikings coach Jim Weaver.
And Alyssa Garcia sent them all home happy by delivering the game-winning walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 7-6 nonconference victory.
Lauren VanHavermaet led off the inning with a walk and went to second on Abby Iurio's infield hit.
The runners each up a base on a wild pitch before Garcia's winning hit to center field.
Garcia finished 2-for-3 as one of three multiple hitters for the Vikes along with Holly Staup (2-for-4, 2 RBI), Iurio (2-for-4) and Leigh Farina (2-for-4, 2 RBI) who belted an inside-the-park homer to left field.
Julie Josten also doubled for Fremd, which finished the regular season at 21-9.
Lea Barrett allowed 2 hits and 1 earned run in 2-/3 innings to earn the win, improving to 7-1 on the season. Weaver also used Joanna Josten (2 hits in 3 innings with 2 strikeouts) and Hailey Goodwin (2 hits in 3⅔ innings).
Fremd resumes action at the Rolling Meadows regional on Tuesday when it faces Willowbrook at 7 p.m.
Rolling Meadows 7, Highland Park 4: After playing at Hoffman Estates in a 4:30 p.m. game, the Mustangs returned home to host Highland Park under the lights.
Grace Skorin (3-for-4, 2 RBI), Elizabeth Vasilogambros (2-for-3, RBI), Chloe Prodanovic (2-for-4, double), Lane Winkler (1-for-3, 2 RBI, double) and Lydia Schultz (double) led the offense for Meadows (7-25).
Schultz threw the final five innings to notch the win after a hand injury to starter Lauren Hattory.
We've had a lot of tough situations this season but these kids have never given up," said Meadows coach Tony Wolanski. "There's not a lot of teams who will play two games back- to-back like this. These kids could have said 'we lost that first game' and just have given up but they didn't.
It's probably because of our seniors leaders Lane (Winkler) and Grace (Skorin). They've done everything we've asked of them. As our captains, they've kept this team together." St. Viator 8, Palatine 2: Sam Hogan (14-2) earned the in for the Lions (18-14), who received 2 doubles from Krystal Harris and one apiece from Gina Mastrodomenico and Cam VanValkenburg.
VanValkenburg led off the game with a double and came home on a double by Harris (4 hits).
After Hogan (3 hits) reached, Kristen Hackel (2 RBI) singled in a run. Mastordomenico the doubled her home.
Olivia Michalik (2 hits, 2 RBI) drove in the inning's final run for a 4-0 lead.
Hogan scattered 6 hits with 13 strikeouts.
The Pirates loaded the bases in the fourth but Hogan got the next hitter to strikeout and then a groundout to end the threat.
In the fifth, the Lions took advantage of a misplay then strung together four singles together with a sacrifice fly to produce four more runs.
Palatine kept battling to the end and punched across 2 runs in the seventh. The Pirates (9-24) had two runners on base when Hogan notched her 13th strikeout to end the game.