Softball: Grams goes after 900th Tuesday

With his 37 years in charge, Ken Grams has had a long career as the softball coach at Elk Grove High School.

He might be on his way to unusually long wait (two days) for one of his biggest milestones - 900 wins.

Grams' Grens led visiting Hoffman Estates 6-1 in the bottom of the third inning on Monday when the game was postponed due to rain. It will be resumed at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Grams (899-360) is second-winningest coach in IHSA history, trailing Randy Wolken of St. Joseph-Ogden who collected his 1,000th win in 38 seasons last Thursday with a 17-0, five-inning win over St. Thomas More.

Grens senior pitcher Kylie Thomsen (8-3) was hit by a pitch and took first base when the game was called with the bases loaded and two outs for Elk Grove.

Thomsen and teammate Haley Itzenthaler each have a pair of doubles so for the Grens (16-5, 5-4), who trail Hersey (15-4, 6-3) by one game in the Mid-Suburban East. Itzenthaler now has 7 doubles and 4 home runs in her last 15 at bats.

Thomsen was a part of Grams' 800th win four years ago at Fenton.

"It feels really good to be able to help get him from 800 to 900 in four years," she said. "He's got such a good coaching style. He really emphasizes the little things and tells us how we need to hit and hit it hard on the ground and not in the air. And he says if you can't catch and throw, you can't play the game so we work really hard on those things in practice."

When play resumes, freshman cleanup hitter Katia Pendowski is due up to bat.

"Hopefully our hitting and pitching from this game stays with us," Thomsen said. "And then we'll be good."

Rain also cut short Hersey's MSL crossover with visiting Schaumburg. It will resume at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday in Arlington Heights. The Huskies are trailing the Saxons 4-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning. Hersey has runners on first and second with two outs.

Monday's four other MSL games were rescheduled for later dates.

Fremd will be at Wheeling (4:30 p.m.) and Palatine at Buffalo Grove (4:45 p.m.) on Tuesday.

On Thursday, Barrington will visit Rolling Meadows at 5 p.m. and Conant will travel to Prospect at 4:45 p.m.

In a remake from earlier this season, Conant is at Rolling Meadows today.