Glenbard North finishes off Streamwood

It's not often a team gets to start a day with a 3-0 lead, as Glenbard North's softball team did against Streamwood on Tuesday.

The Panthers added to their advantage right out of the gates and went on to beat the Sabres 7-1 in the play-in game of the Class 4A Schaumburg regional.

The game had been suspended by rain on Monday with Glenbard North leading 3-0 with one out in the top of the second inning and a 3-2 count on leadoff hitter Trinity Medina, who proceeded to draw a walk. She stole second, Streamwood made an error on Gabby Melchiorre's grounder and Steph Campos drove in Medina with a single. Melchiorre then went to third and Campos to second on a wild pitch. Melchiorre scored on a passed ball and Campos went to third. After a walk to Sarah Petzold, Kayla Quanstrum's sacrifice fly plated Campos and Petzold scored on a double from Mariah Roman to make it a 7-0 game.

That was more than enough for Panther senior right-hander Casey Boland, who threw a 2-hitter and allowed only an unearned run while striking out 3 and walking 3.

The win puts Glenbard North (9-21) into a 4:30 p.m. semifinal Wednesday at Schaumburg against the host and top-seeded Saxons, who are 28-1 and have won 27 straight.

“It was nice to come in here with a lead and I thought the kids were relaxed,” said Glenbard North coach Josh Sanew. “We played good defense and you gotta do that, make plays to help yourself.”

“We definitely had to keep our spirits up,” said Boland. “The game being split into two days is tough but getting a lead early helped keep our morale up.”

The Panthers weren't able to generate anymore offense the rest of the way as Streamwood junior Jessica Daley allowed just 2 hits after the second inning, but the damage had been done.

“After that second inning, once we got the first batter out every inning, we were fine,” said Streamwood coach Kelly Wasilewski, who coached her final game with the Sabres after just one season due to her teaching job being a victim of a reduction in force.

“That's been our problem all year long, getting that first batter out. We get down and we slouch.”

The Sabres (8-23) had little success against Boland, who had a no-hitter going through 4⅓ innings before Cayla Hawkins singled up the middle. Hawkins then went to second on Nijal Desai's grounder, third on an infield error and then scored on a groundout by Emily Unthank.

Streamwood's only other hit came from Daley, a single to lead off the sixth.

“She hit her spots pretty well today,” said Sanew of Boland. “You never know what you're going to get the next day out of a rain delay but she worked out of her jams and we'll need her to throw well (Wednesday) against Schaumburg. We'll have our hands full.”

Campos and Roman finished with 2 hits each including doubles for the Panthers, while Melchiorre had a double on Monday before the game was suspended. Roman had driven in 2 runs for Glenbard North on Monday as well.

Wasilewski, who has accepted a position at another local high school that is pending school board approval on June 8, was happy to see her team compete to the end.

“I commend them for that,” she said. “They don't give up. They fight all the way through the game and I give them credit for that.”