Softball: Peterson, Barrington play bombs away against Hersey
Barrington's Perry Peterson is a hall of fame softball coach in Illinois.
His daughter Kendall has started this chilly spring like a hall of fame player.
The senior third baseman had another perfect day at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a 3-run homer, 2-run double and 5 RBI to help ignite the Fillies' offense in a 17-2 four-inning Mid-Suburban League crossover triumph at Hersey on Friday.
"I'm just trying to stay positive," said Kendall Peterson, the Northwestern recruit who now has 6 homers for the Fillies (8-1, 2-0). "I just try to stay focused one pitch at a time. When my mental game is strong, my physical game is even stronger.
"I couldn't do it without my awesome teammates. especially Tori Meyer (DePaul recruit sidelined following ACL surgery). She has really been amazing for me and hyping me up every single game. She is a great teammate."
Peterson's 3-run blast into the wind and to dead center field gave the Fillies a 5-1 lead in the second inning when they scored 7 runs.
"This is a kid who has worked all her life for this," said Perry Peterson of his daughter. "This is important to her. She has worked hard and she is battling every day to try and make a contribution to help her team be successful her senior year."
The coach loved the contributions of his entire lineup.
"We are just emphasizing every day that everyone in the lineup has to hit and today was another great example," he said. "That's how you put the numbers up on the board against a really good Hersey softball team. They're really good and our kids respect them, their talent, and how well coached they are."
Three batters after Kendall Peterson's blast, classmate Gina Magro drove her third home run of the season to right field and it also drove in 3 runs. The senior went 2-for-4 with 4 RBI.
"Gina is such a key contributor for the success of our team," Perry Peterson added. "We are so appreciative of what she does for us. She is so steady at first base and such a solid contributor in the batter's box. She is a young lady who really matters for our team's success."
"We've been playing real well together," Magro said. "Our main goal is to hit the ball as soon as we can, score runs and let the defense do its job."
Other key hitters for the Fillies were Brynn Nevers (2-for-3, walk), Jackie Albrecht (2-for-2, 2 walks), Leyden Atlas (1-for-2, 2 walks, RBI) and Katherine Stagnito, who had an RBI single in the Fillies' 9-run fourth inning and scored 2 runs.
Senior ace Barbara Covek (8-1) earned the win, striking out two and walking none in 4 innings. Her catcher, senior Caroline Huttinger, caught a runner stealing in the first inning.
Leadoff batter Makayla Tsagalis went 2-for-2 for the Huskies (6-3, 0-3), who also got hits from Brianna Luciano (1-for-2 with RBI groundout), Kylie Makuh (1-for-1) and Sarah Bailitz (1-for-2).
"We had some things that were controllable and some things that were uncontrollable," said Hersey coach Molly Freeman, who used Bailitz (3-2) and Luciano on the mound. "When we had the opportunity to shut some things down, we weren't stepping up and making the big plays."
The Huskies have already faced three of the top teams in the MSL over the past years in Fremd, Palatine and Barrington.
"We knew this was going to be a long week for us and we wanted to come out and play our best," Freeman added. "We know that is still waiting for us. We still have the ability to play our best going into next week. It's just cleaning up some things and getting back out here."
"Hersey is a very talented team," said Kendall Peterson, who has faced the Huskies in the last two MSL title games. "And they have three girls headed to play at big colleges. They are definitely a force to be reckoned with the rest of the season."