Glenbard South wins 11th straight regional crown
Although the Glenbard South softball team defeated St. Edward 10-4 to win its own Class 3A regional Saturday, each team showed its strengths.
The Raiders (24-8) earned their 11th straight regional title and wait for the outcome of Monday's Ridgewood regional final between St. Francis and the host that was postponed Saturday because of the weather. Glenbard South, seeded second in the Montini sectional, will play the winner Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in a semifinal. St. Francis is seeded second and Ridgewood is seventh.
Raiders coach Julie Fonda is scouting the game Monday, but said anybody in sectional play will pose a challenge.
"Everybody is good at this point," she said. Glenbard South did not face St. Francis or Ridgewood during the regular season.
A steady rain fell throughout most of Saturday's game, but not enough to force a stoppage in play. Drying compound was applied to the pitchers circle and certain spots of the infield during most between innings breaks.
"The conditions were not great, but it was the same for both teams. And it's important to get these games in," Fonda said.
After going down in order in the first, the Raiders exploded for 6 runs on 4 hits in the second. A two-base throwing error by St. Edward and RBI doubles by Ashley Cohen and Bailee Flanagan were the big plays of the frame.
Glenbard South made it 7-0 in the third. With one out, Holly Taylor doubled down the left-field line. Vanessa Eichele then plated Arianna Mora, running for Taylor, with a single to center.
The Raiders broke the game open in the fourth with 3 runs on 3 hits to go up 10-0. An RBI single by Tricia Weigand, Cohen's second RBI double and a sacrifice fly by Mina Marra sparked Glenbard South.
Fonda had said facing the sixth-seeded Green Wave (21-9-1) was not going to be easy and it wasn't.
Glenbard South went into the top of the fifth needing 3 outs to end the game on the 10-run rule. St. Edward leadoff hitter Megan Strong started things off with a walk followed by another walk to Lindsay Zdroik. Catcher Allison Stratman's single that just reached the outfield down the left-field line sent Strong home. Devyn Ernst reached base on a dropped third strike to load the bases, but the Raiders got the third out.
"These guys have had the fight in them all season. We have had problems with one bad inning, but today we were right back in it. But we left too many on base," said St. Edward coach Jaci Corn.
The Green Wave left the bases loaded in the third and left two on in the first.
The Green Wave were retired in order in the sixth, but scored 3 runs before the Raiders got the final out to end the contest.
Ryann Scully singled to right with Zdroik and Stratman reaching on walks with wild pitches all bringing them home.
The majority of the St. Edward team returns in 2016 with only 4 seniors on this year's roster.
Zdroik, a junior committed to Valparaiso University, was unable to pitch on Saturday due to arm soreness, according to Corn. Junior Emily Stapay took the loss.