Prospect goes indoors, ties Sandburg

For the first time in eight seasons as Prospect's softball coach, former Elk Grove and Carthage pitching great Krystina Mackowiak directed her team inside a dome.

Her defending Mid-Suburban League East champions relished the idea on a day that was hardly suitable for playing the game outdoors.

"I was really just so happy it worked out," Mackowiak said about Friday' afternoon's nonconference game against Sandburg at the Rosemont Dome. "Especially with the cold temperatures. Just to get any innings in at this time of the season gives us a little advantage."

Neither team had an advantage on the scoreboard when the two-hour time limit ended the game tied at 5-5 after seven innings.

It meant the Knights (2-0-1) remained undefeated and Sandburg first-year coach Lauren Meister will have to wait for the first decision of her coaching career.

"I thought Prospect was a really classy team," said Meister, who has been an assistant in the Eagles program and played at Downers Grove South. "Our assistant coach and their head coach (Mackowiak) knew each other in college and helped set up this game. We (coaches) all played the game ourselves and now we get to see each other in life, so that's really special."

Mackowiak is hoping for another special season from her Knights, who made up a 5-2 deficit when center fielder Kathryn Keehn's 3-run two-out double to center field tied the game in the bottom of third inning.

"KK (Keehn) is good at coming through in the clutch for us," Mackowiak said. "That's why she is in the No. 2 spot in the order. She can pretty much do it all, put the ball down or hit for power."

Junior cleanup hitter Riley Depa (1-0-1) did it all for the Knights, pitching all seven innings with 8 strikeouts and going 2-for-4 at the plate with an RBI.

"Riley did really well," Mackowiak said. "Honestly, she found her groove after the first few innings and kept them off-balance. She really buckled down."

"I wish we had played in dirt but I was happy to be able to pitch in the dome," Depa said. "There's not much of a difference. I think our defense has been pretty good so far. That's what is kind of keeping us in games. We just need to get our hitting down."

Knights shortstop Erin Pinter had an RBI single in the first inning and Depa followed with her double for a 2-0 lead.

Sandburg went ahead 3-2 in the bottom of the inning, thanks to a 2-run triple by Charlotte Trunk (2-for-4) and an RBI single to right-center by junior catcher MaryJane Hochgraber (2-for-4) who was robbed of a third hit when Knights second baseman Carley Jagiello (3 walks) leaped to snare the hardest-hit liner in the game in the seventh inning.

Prospect first baseman Ashley Simon (1-for-3) and third baseman Georgianna Crudele were also robbed of hits on diving catches by Addison Torgerson (2-for-3) in right and center field.

Prospect had a big chance to grab the lead in the top of the seventh when it loaded the bases with no outs. Pinter was hit by a pitch. Depa then reached on an error and catcher Rachael Sasanuma on a fielder's choice.

However, Eagles southpaw reliever Grace Fuller got out of the jam with a popout to the mound, a 1-2 fielder's choice and a groundout to second baseman Sam Pagnucci.

"We've got a lot of kids who are going to do special things this season," Meister said.

Mackowiak sees the same from her squad.

"We are returning most of our team from last season so we have high expectations," she said. "It was nice to get to play here today. Honestly, this (playing at the dome) has been on my radar. We've talked about it and hopefully we can get something here the next few years."