Softball: Conant stays perfect in MSL West

First place in the Mid-Suburban League West softball race was on the line when Conant sophomore Makenna McCarthy stepped into the batter's box in the bottom of the 12th inning on Tuesday in Hoffman Estates.

The varsity rookie center fielder had a 1-1 count with the bases loaded and two outs.

"Honestly, I was just trying to make contact," said McCarthy, whose 2-run homer served as the game-wininng RBI against Barrington less than a week earlier on the same field.

Instead, the softball made contact with McCarthy.

She was hit on the left leg to bring home the winning run (Lauren Grzelak) from third base, giving Conant a 6-5 victory over visiting Fremd in the battle of clubs who were previously undefeated in the West.

Conant improved to 12-5 and 6-0 while Fremd stands at 14-3 and 5-1.

The first 10 innings were played Friday, when the teams ended up tied 5-5.

"We told the girls they were playing the same team but a lot of things were different from when we started - the weather, the day of the week and the extra innings," said Cougars coach Cathyann Smith. "But we said you have to come out with the same intensity and execute with the same intensity."

Senior ace Sara Neuman executed quite well, giving up just 1 hit in the two innings on Tuesday and striking out four.

She finished the game with 18 strikeouts and improved to 8-0.

"I knew when we started today they had the top of their order up (senior Abby Iuorio started with a walk) and it was super important for me to focus on every pitch," Neuman said. "Fremd has very respectable hitters through the whole lineup so I had to be very careful."

Fremd second baseman Becca Uhrich singled to right with two outs in the 12th before Neuman struck out the next batter to set up Conant's winning at-bat.

The bottom of the 12th began with junior shortstop Grzelak beating out an infield hit.

She scooted to second on a perfect sacrifice bunt by Jackie Burchfield. Consecutive walks to Sam Gadomski and Morgan Bihun loaded the base with one out.

Fremd sophomore right-hander Nikki Kehoe (10-2) then came up with a big strikeout (12 for the game) for the second out.

But McCarthy, who homered to lead off the fourth inning on Friday, then drew the walk-off hit by pitch.

"Sometimes the softball Gods are in your favor," Smith said. "We told the girls we could have been in same situation as Fremd. They (Fremd) are a quality team. Now we can't take anything for granted moving forward."

Grzelak (3-for-5) and catcher Dream Aaron (2-for-5) were the only Cougars' to have multiple hits in the game.

Iuorio (2-for-5) and Jessica Mazur (2-for-6, home run, 3 RBI), home run) were multiple hitters for Fremd, which received a homer from Julia Wacker in the seventh inning on Friday to tie the game at 5-5.

The Vikings visit Barrington on Wednesday and resume their suspended game at Palatine on Thursday (in that one, the Vikings trail 4-3 in the bottom of the third).

"We've got to put the bunt down better," said Fremd coach Jim Weaver. "Conant got theirs down. And they won the game.

"It's not complicated. You've got to execute. They out-executed us today and that's on me. We've got to get better."