Softball: McMahon, Barrington stop Huntley
Huntley made things interesting in the seventh inning, but the Red Raiders couldn't keep the momentum going as Barrington held on for a 2-1 win in the semifinals of the Class 4A Belvidere North sectional.
The Fillies advance to Saturday's championship game against Thursday's DeKalb-Crystal Lake Central winner.
Hayley O'Mara's home run leading off the bottom of the seventh cut Barrington's lead in half. When Sofia Tenuta reached base on an illegal pitch call, the Raiders suddenly had the tying run on base. But Fillies' pitcher Catherine McMahon reached back to retire the final 3 batters and preserve the win.
Despite the pressure, McMahon remained confident that she and her teammates would come through.
"After the home run I was a little worried, but I just knew our defense had been really solid the whole game, and I just knew that even if they tied it up we would have pushed a run across," she said. "I was really confident the whole game. We were really positive throughout."
The positive attitude comes from preparation.
"We do it all the time, we work on it all the time in practice, these pressure situations, and the kids got through it," said Barrington coach Perry Peterson.
Runs were tough to come by all afternoon as Huntley hurler Tiffany Giese nearly matched McMahon.
Barrington (28-7) got on the board early when Jamie Brown and Jenna Fingerman doubled on consecutive pitches in the second. The Fillies pushed across a critical insurance run in the fifth when Abbey Jacobson singled. Courtesy runner Annie Lieding moved up on Carly Kordich's single and eventually scored on a wild pitch.
Giese, too, knuckled down when she needed to.
"I knew I needed to come back and be smart (after giving up the lead)," she said. "I can't let it bother me. Short-term memory."
But as it turned out, those 2 early runs were all the support McMahon needed. She sailed through the first 5 2/3, facing just 1 batter over the minimum. A single leading off the game by Jessica Shields, who was later caught stealing, and fourth inning double by Rylie Porretto were the only baserunners against McMahon until the sixth.
The Raiders got something going when Shields walked with 2 outs and Giese singled, but McMahon got the final out.
Earlier, the Raiders had a couple of fly balls reach the warning track and hit a couple of others hard.
"Today the ball was going right at somebody," said Huntley coach Mark Petryniec, who nonetheless found plenty to be positive about, including a conference championship and a school record for wins (29). "I thought we had something in the sixth and seventh, but it just wasn't to be today. Today we had a couple of close ones that I thought had a chance to get out, but it just seemed like all day the ball didn't bounce our way. But hats off to their pitcher, she did a great job today.
"Every season, unless you go downstate and win state, the season ends with a loss. It's going to hurt for today but we're not going to let it detract from the accomplishments of the season.