Softball: Fremd comes from behind to beat Hersey
Fremd's softball team has seemingly grinded out a lot of wins this spring to reach its lofty record of 22-7 and Tuesday's victory was hardly an exception.
The Vikings fell behind 3-0 after two and half innings but slowly crept back into the game and finally put away a 7-3 win over Hersey in the Mid-Suburban League second-place crossover.
"One of the things I love about this group is the way it adjusts during the game," said Fremd coach Josh Teschner, who won his 107th game in five seasons. "It's not just one person but everyone after every single at-bat coming back to the dugout and checking in with each other, They share what they see and when you are facing a nice pitcher like (Sabrina) DiVito, you're able to adjust as the game goes along and put pressure on the defense which we have done so well. And the grind-it-out wins are a by-product of their desire to adjust as a group and not just one person."
One person who makes the Vikings' offense go is leadoff batter Kayln McCarthy, whose two-out RBI single to left gave the hosts the lead for good when an error on the play allowed Christina Bryne and Taylor Piento to score for a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the fourth.
The Vikings scored 2 runs on 2 hits in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings and added a seventh run in the sixth when senior DP Elaina Kraus singled home Piento.
"Hersey is a good team and their pitcher is great," said McCarthy, who will play at Arizona State where she hopes to study education and one day become a coach. "But we are relentless hitters and we were able to put the ball in play against her. I thought our team did amazing."
Bryne put the ball in play twice to go 2-for 2 with a walk. The senior also had a big day Monday against Schaumburg (3-0 win) on Senior Day.
"After a really nice game on Senior Day, Christina just carried it over," Teschner said. "She hit two really hard balls to the right side. That's what we ask her to do and I've got to say she did a phenomenal job at it."
Kraus retained her hot bat, going 3-for-4 with 3 RBI while shortstop Anna Poss (RBI sacrifice fly) and junior Caroline Montella (double) also had hits for Fremd (finished 13-3 in the MSL West).
"We know we are going to have to put pressure on other teams because we don't hit the ball out of the park a lot," Teschner added.
Hersey did hit two out of the park to grab a 2-0 lead. Amanda Frankenberger and Amelia Meyer went back-to-back with solo blasts to lead off the second inning.
The Huskies (19-5, 12-4) went ahead 3-0 in the third when Meyer (2-for-3) added an RBI double to center. Meyer almost had a third hit but center fielder McCarthy made a nice running last-second stab of her sharp liner in the fifth inning.
McCarthy also took a hit away from Val Allen in the inning with another nice running catch to her right.
Catcher Liv Christopher (2-for-4), Brooke Sharlau and Kate Adamski also hit safely for the Huskies.
"We needed to come up with a few more hits and a few more plays," said Hersey coach Molly Freeman, who was back at Fremd where she starred as a softball player. "I thought we missed a few plays that we expect to make at this time of the season.
"The middle of our lineup hit well. When we are aggressive, that's when we are always at our best. But when we are taking pitches, that is when we kind of slow down."
Senior Gina Dudley (14-4), throwing to catcher Ryannne Goodwin, threw the first 5 innings to earn the win while sophomore Lauren Graham went the final two, retiring six of the seven batters she faced and getting a nifty scoop at first base by Montella for the third out of the sixth inning.
"The great thing for us is that everyone understands their role," Teschner said. "So they take advantage of the opportunities that come to them and that's what happened today."