Barrington rolls by Warren, will face Huntley in super
Barrington wasted little time getting on the scoreboard in Thursday's Class 4A sectional softball championship at the Field of Dreams.
By the time the host Fillies were done batting in the first inning, 6 runs crossed the plate.
As has been the case nearly all season, that was plenty for senior pitcher Jackie Albrecht.
The right-hander recorded her 20th win in 21 decisions with 10 strikeouts and she also hit Barrington's 60th and 61st home runs of the season as the top-seeded Fillies posted a 9-3 win over No. 2 Warren (19-6).
Barrington now has 13 sectional crowns (12 under hall of fame coach Perry Peterson), the most of any Mid-Suburban League team followed by Fremd (6) and Elk Grove (5).
The Fillies (33-1) will face Huntley (33-6) at 7 p.m. on Monday in the Barrington supersectional.
"It's really exciting" said Albrecht, the only senior on Barrington's roster. "I remember (winning a sectional) as a freshman (Barrington's last one in 2018). We're back in the supersectional again and we're ready to play."
Freshman catcher Emma Kavanagh (2-for-3, 3 RBI) was ready to bat in the first inning. She blasted her team-high 17th homer over the left field fence, a 2-run shot that scored sophomore Allie Goodwin (walk) for the quick 2-0 lead. Ainsley Muno (hit by pitch), Albrecht (infield error) and Nikki Vojack all reached base before the second out was recorded. Teagan Buckley produced an RBI double off the center field fence and Kate Winkelman also had a single in the inning that saw the Fillies send 11 batters to the plate.
Albrecht's first homer easily cleared the left field fence for a 7-0 lead in the second inning.
"Jackie is fantastic," said Kavanagh, who went 2-for-3 with 3 RBI, giving her 37 for the spring. "I'm so lucky and beyond thrilled that I've been able to play with her as a senior. I wish she were younger so I could catch her longer. She is unbelievable and I'm so proud to be on the team with her."
Warren scored all of its runs on 5 hits in the top of the fifth. Brooke Mangler, Emily Craig, Hailey Conger (3-for-4), Hannah Conger and Allie Badgley (RBI) all had singles. Kaitlyn Weidemann drew a bases-loaded walk.
"It just took us five innings to string together some hits and get on the board," said Warren coach Jenna Charbonneau. "And stringing those hits together was really a difference maker. Obviously, we had a rough start. Some things didn't go our way in that first inning and we just couldn't catch up."
Blue Devils sophomore pitcher Sydney Jackson (13-3) struck out three.
"I'm extremely happy with how our young kids did this season," Charbonneau said. "Our seniors (Mangler, Craig, Bianca Gallegos, Autumn Grayczyk and Lauren Heuberger) really set a good foundation for us so we are sad to lose them. We are looking forward to seeing what this young group can bring the next few years."
After getting to within 7-3, Barrington closed out the scoring with Albrecht's line drive blast over the center field fence in the bottom of the fifth (her eighth homer of the season)) and Kavanagh's RBI single to left that scored Goodwin, who had doubled with two outs in the bottom of the sixth to make it 9-3.