Softball: Buffalo Grove eliminated despite Ryan's gem

Another stellar season may have come to an end for the Buffalo Grove softball team but not before Bison ace pitcher Kate Ryan went toe-to-toe with Loyola senior gem Mackenzie Barry.

Barry, who matched her career-high of 18 strikeouts, finally won her own game with her bat. She clubbed a sacrifice fly to deep center field in the top of the eighth inning to give her team a 1-0 lead which stood up for the final score after she struck out the side in the bottom of the inning.

The Ramblers' third straight shutout in the postseason advanced them to Saturday's championship game of the Class 4A Glenbrook North sectional against the winner of Wednesday's semifinal between No. 3 seeded Warren and No. 10 Waukegan.

"You tip your cap to her," said BG coach Cailin Carpenter, whose team was playing in its second straight sectional game after winning its first Mid-Suburban League East title since 2013. "She threw a great game."

"I knew it was going to be a close game because they had a really good pitcher," said Ryan, who struck out 10. "I knew I had to really zone in."

That's exactly what the left-hander did as she took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. It was broken up by Barry's one-out single to right field.

"She's amazing," Barry said of Ryan who she knows from travel ball. "I've seen her go toe-to-toe with the best pitchers in travel ball. She is phenomenal and she pitched phenomenally today."

Barry has had a phenomenal run through the state series, going 3-0 without giving up a run and only 5 hits. The Ramblers (17-12) have outscored their opponents 13-0 in the three wins.

"My team is the reason we win the games," said Barry, who plans to study elementary education and plays softball for Northern Illinois. "It's the catcher, the infielders and the outfielders. They have been stellar in these regional and sectional games. I'm absolutely astonished how far we have come from the beginning of the season."

Carpenter feels the same way about her team the past two years.

"We knew this was going to be a very special team," she said. "And they've exceeded these expectations and hopes every single day of the season. I'm just honored to be around for their individual journeys and their journey as a team. As bittersweet as it is for our seniors, I'm looking forward to what these experiences can do for this returning group and what they can come out and do in the future."

BG's best scoring chance came in the first inning when they had two of their three hits.

First baseman JJ Jakosalem (2-for-3, walk in the seventh) singled to right with one out, followed by a walk to Hannah Hull. Jenna Kosnoff then singled to center, loading the bases before Barry struck out the next two batters.

"Both pitchers were just amazing," Carpenter said. "They were throwing great and that's the kind of softball you expect at this stage of the season. It was a heck of a game."

The top of the eighth decided the game when freshman catcher Emelia Bartholomew led off by being hit by a pitch. She stole second, went to third on Lily Moran's groundout to Jakosalem and came home on Barry's long drive caught by Bison center fielder Kayla O'Malley.

"She (Bartholomew) is the best person in that situation," Barry said. "She is fast, very smart on the bases and knows how to slide away from the tag. She is amazing. I love her. I was just thinking fly ball or hit it somewhere to the right side or just put it in play."

"I'm just so proud of how we played and how Kate fought through everything," Carpenter said. "That's what we knew she was going to give us today that's what she's given us all season. And our defense was everything that we needed it to be. We just didn't push any runs across."