Softball: Barrington rallies past Libertyville twice
The seventh-inning kids did it again.
Going into Saturday's twin bill at Libertyville, Barrington's softball team had won twice this spring when trailing going into the seventh inning.
Add two more seventh inning comebacks after Saturday's sweep over the Wildcats.
Haley Luczak had the game-winning RBI in each game and sophomore pitcher Caroline Hoppe collected both wins.
Both team went into the doubleheader with 10-1 records.
The Fillies came away at 12-1 following 5-4 and 9-6 triumphs.
In Game 1, the Fillies trailed 4-1 going into the top of the seventh and started the inning with 5 hits and a walk before making their first out.
Luczak's single to left with no outs scored Rachel Krzysko to make it 5-4.
Jamie Brown's solo homer in the second inning g gave the Fillies a 1-0 lead before the Wildcats scored twice in the third and fourth innings.
Hoppe worked the final three innings in relief of her classmate Catherine McMahon (4 innings).
Top hitters for Barrington in the game were Brown (3-for-4, RBI), Carly Kordich (2-for-5), Rachel Macdonald (2-for-3), Jenna Fingerman (2-for-3) and Liz Sweeney (2-for-4).
Barrington trailed 6-4 heading into the seventh of Game 2 when they pushed across 5 runs.
This time the Fillies had 4 hits before making an out. Luczak's RBI single which again scored Krzysko made it 7-6.
Top hitters for the Fillies were Brown (3-for-5, double), Macdonald (3-for-4, RBI), Kordich (2-for-5, RBI), Fingerman (2-for-4, double, RBI) and Luczak (2-for-3, double, 3 RBI). Teammate Kelly Katis also doubled.
Hoppe (3-0) struck out three in 3 innings while McMahon (9-1) had 1 strikeout in 2 innings.
Fremd sweeps: Fremd (11-0) won a pair of five-inning shutouts from visiting South Elgin, including a combined no-hitter in Game 2.
Sophomore Jessica Mazur (4 strikeouts in 4 innings) and classmate Hannah Ban (2 strikeouts in 1 inning) no-hit the Storm.
Fremd, which scored six time, in the first inning, was led at the plate by Abby Iuorio (3-for-4, Alyssa Garcia (2-for-2, double), Annemarie O'Sullivan (2-for-2) and Julia Wacker (2-for-3).
Wacker belted a 2-run homer to center with one out in the first game and that improved to be all winning pitcher Nikki Kehoe (4 strikeouts in 3 innings) and Ban (4 strikeouts in 2 innings) would need.
Kehoe raised her record to 8-0 while Iuorio went 3-for-3 with 2 runs and 2 RBI in the game. Catcher Lexi D'Ambrosio had a double.
Elk Grove sweeps: The visiting Grenadiers (8-1) won at Maine South 6-5 and 7-3 as senior Sarah Pauscher belted her third and fourth homers of the season and third in two days.
Pauscher's 2-run blast in Game 1 came in the third inning then the Grens scored five times. Alex Masnica (2-for-4, 2 RBI) and Amy Pietruszynski (3-for-3, 1 run, RBI) led the Grens offense.
Junior Kylie Thomsen (3-1) earned the win, striking out six.
Anna Bonder (2-0) tossed a 7-hitter with 3 strikeouts for the win in Game 2.
After Haley Itzenthaler reached on an error and Pietruszynski singled, Pauscher (2-for-4, 4 RBI) connected for a 3-run homer in the third inning.
Pietruszynski came back with another superb offensive game, going 3-for-4 from the No. 2 spot while Thomsen was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Bonder 2-for-3 with 2 RBI.
Prospect splits: Host Prospect dropped a 4-3 game to Mundelein and then defeated Glenbrook North 7-6 in 13 innings.
"It was such a beautiful day for softball and the fans couldn't have asked for more," said Prospect coach Jim Adair.
Alex Kanter (4-for-4, 3 RBI, double), Anna Blaue (2-for-3) and Lauren Calderone (2-for-4) were top hitters for the hosts against Mundelein.
Trailing 4-2 with one out in the bottom of the seventh, Caldrone and Kanter reached on singles to load the bases before sophomore Alyssa Cacini drew a walk to force Blaue home.
The Knights had the bases loaded with one out but were unable to bring the tying run home. In the second game, Prospect (2-6) prevailed with a walk-off home run by Cacini in the bottom of the 13th.
GBN led 5-0 going into the bottom of the seventh when Prospect scored 5 runs to tie the game.
Senior and No. 9 hitter Hannah Brummer (2-for-6) singled with one out before Lauren Caldrone reached on a fielder's choice and Alex Kanter was safe on an error.
The next 5 Prospect batters collected an RBI.
With the bases loaded, Cacini (3-for-7, 2 RBI, homer singled to score Brummer.
Colleen Palczynski walked to force home another run and Jackie Orel had an RBI groundout. Cate Meersman and Delilah Malczewski singled to tie the game.
Mundelein went ahead 6-5 in the top of the eighth but Prospect answered in the bottom of the inning.
Caldrone doubled with one out and scored on Cacini's 2-out double.
Cacini finally ended the three-hour marathon with a line drive home run over the left-center field fence in the bottom of the 13th.
"We really needed that walk-off home from Alyssa," Adair said. "She's been struggling a little but that seems to be over. She hit that ball so hard I was afraid it was going to break the fence if it didn't go over."
Prospect out-hit both teams on Saturday.
"It would have been nice to come away with two wins over good teams but I'm happy that we showed so much character in Game 2," Adair said. "I'm very proud of the resilience my kids showed this week (losses to powers Schaumburg, Fremd, Conant and Mundelein). I'd like to know who else played such tough competition this week."
Freshman Madeline Borkowki made her varsity debut by going all 13 innings for the Knights. She had 8 strikeouts, 1 walk and gave up 13 hits.
"I was very impressed with her performance," Adair said. "Her mental toughness is amazing. This start for her was just a little test to see what she could do."
Conant splits: Sara Neuman (5-0) threw a 2-hitter with 7 strikeouts as Conant won the opener 11-0 at Lake Park.
Top hitters for the Cougars (7-1) were Lauren Grzelak (2-for-3, double, 3 runs, RBI), Sam Gadomski (2-for-3, 3 RBI, 1 run) and Makenna McCarthy (2-for-3, 2 runs). Teammates Jackie Burchfield, Sydney Correa, Morgan Bihun and Dream Aaron (2 RBI) each had a hit.
The Cougars' 2 hits in a 3-1 loss in the opener were from Bihun and Sara Kate Pasbrig. Gadomski (1-1) took the loss.
Senior Dream Aaron reached on an error and scored Conant's run.
Schaumburg sweeps: Schaumburg (7-3) gained a pair of wins at Jacobs 6-0 and 5-2.
The Saxons had 18 hits in the opener as junior Alexandra Cook had a double and classmate Michelle Birkholz (2-1) earned the win.
In Game 2, Schaumburg scored all its runs in the top of the sixth inning to rally from a 2-0 deficit.
Seniors Paige Alt and Christina Candotti each had doubles as Alt (5-2) picked up her fifth straight win.
Buffalo Grove 4, Lake Zurich 3: Junior Alyssa Dephillips earned the win as visiting Buffalo Grove scored 3 runs to tie the game at 3-3 in the top of the fifth and got the winning run in the top of the seventh.
Senior Emily Carnes and freshman Bailey Williams had doubles for BG (3-7).
Hersey 9, Vernon Hills 6: Jackie Bednar (4-for-4, double, 3 RBI, 1 run), Kim Labahn (3-for-4 2 runs) and Kaitlyn Denten (2-for-4, 2 runs) led Hersey's 13-hit attack.
Hannah Graff, Katie Wingerter (double), Sofia Cano and Jodie Hermann each had a hit for visiting Hersey (4-4).
Denten earned the complete-game win to improve her record to 2-1.
Rolling Meadows splits: The visiting Mustangs (7-5) lost to Evanston 5-3 in the opener and then earned a 10-7 triumph in Game 2.
Evanston rallied from a 3-0 deficit in Game 1.
Paige Connor (2-for-3) and Elizabeth Elkins (1-for-3, 2 RBI) led RM offensively.
With the game tied 7-7, freshman Sara Benner (3-for-5, double, 4 RBI) game-deciding in the top of the sixth inning.
Amanda Elkins also went 3-for-5 while teammate Caroline Slowik was 2-for-4.
Meadows pitcher Elise Kowalski (1-1) earned her first varsity win
Wheeling falls: Junior Hannah Bradford (2-for-4, RBI), sophomore Olivia Walker (3-for-4, 2 runs, RBI), Freshman Nicole Ferraro (2-for-4, RBI) and junior Kaitlyn Schuetz (2-for-4, RBI) led the Wildcats' offense.
Sophomore pitcher Dakota Medrano (double) and junior Arielle Rosenston each had a hit for Wheeling (0-5).