Softball: Hersey nips Elk Grove

Hersey senior Renae Curtis grew up watching her cousin Sara Kern star for Wheeling's softball team.

On Friday afternoon at Hersey, as an assistant coach for visiting Elk Grove, Kern got to watch her younger cousin perform in the sport.

Curtis didn't disappoint and it didn't take long.

In the bottom of the first inning, her single to left drove home Ria Patel and Brianna Luciano to give the hosts a 2-1 lead.

Four innings later, Patel sent a double down the left field line to score Neti Napoli for the game-winning RBI in Hersey's 3-2 win over the Grenadiers.

Hersey (12-4, 6-3) took a half-game lead in the Mid-Suburban East over Elk Grove (18-3, 5-3). The two teams come right back on Saturday for a 1 p.m. game on the Grens' field.

"It was a good win for us but we've got to get ready to come right back," said Curtis, whose aunt Susie (mother of Sara) was a standout athlete for Hersey. "I know now we have something to talk about at our family dinners. I went to a lot of Sara's game. She was an amazing player so this was really fun to have her here."

Hersey had Sarah Bailitz (6-2) on the mound and the senior threw a 4-hitter with 12 strikeouts against one of the most explosive offenses in the area.

"Sarah and Morgan (Breden, Huskies catcher) have been working together for a couple of years and they have it down to a science," said Hersey coach Molly Freeman. "We knew Sarah had to go out there in the seventh inning and face the meat of their order. I asked her if she was ready. It was her game. She said wanted to finish, and I'm proud of her."

Elk Grove junior pitcher Lauren Clausen (11-3) also allowed only 4 hits while striking out three.

"It was a good ballgame with two good teams," said Elk Grove coach Ken Grams. "Both pitchers threw well.

"I think the first inning was the difference. They had four baserunners and got a couple of them to score. We weren't able to respond a little earlier but that's the nature of the game."

The Grens tied the game at 2-2 in the third inning when catcher Katia Pendowski belted her second straight RBI single to score Morgan Leach (2-for-4). Pendowski ended up 2-for-3 with a sharp lineout to center fielder Patel in the fourth inning.

Hersey's game-winning rally in the bottom of the fifth inning started when Napoli reached on an error. After two were out, Patel delivered her big hit.

"I was just thinking put it in play," said Patel of the biggest hit of her two-year varsity career. "I knew I had a runner on base and I just wanted to get her in."

"Ria tells me how hard she works on her hitting so she deserved this," Freeman said. "She has been waiting for her moment and there's nothing better than to see a kid who works hard to come in when it's her turn and shine."

Curtis' big moment came with two outs and two on in the first.

"Renae just makes contact," Freeman said. "She has a lot of courage in the batters box and she never blinks. She knows her job and she does it well."

Morgan Leach did a good job preventing further damage after Patel's double when she hustled over to make a nice backhanded catch in right field on a hard hit fly by Luciano (1-for-3).

Another defensive highlight for the Grens was first baseman's Jaimie Klicka's scoop on an infield throw for the second out of the bottom of the sixth.

The two teams will play for first place in the East Saturday.

"No rest for the weary," Freeman said. "But that's what you want - get right back at it and try to take care of business."

"Hopefully we can keep things the same," Curtis said. "And maybe score some more runs."