C-G, Jacobs set for 4th meeting

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It seems each season Cary-Grove and Jacobs end up on a collision course in the softball playoffs, and this year, true to form, the Trojans and the Eagles will vie to knock off one another in an IHSA Class 4A Huntley Sectional final at 10 a.m. today.

The past two seasons, C-G and Jacobs could have met in a regional final but did not advance that far. This season the two will play for a fourth time with the chance to go to the Judson University Supersectional on Monday on the line.

All three games this season have been close. Cary-Grove leads the series, 2-1, with a
6-4 victory April 13 and a 5-2 victory May 12. Jacobs handed the Trojans (31-6) their only loss in Fox Valley Conference Valley Division play with a 3-0 victory April 28.

“I’m excited to see them again,” C-G coach Tammy Olson said. “It’ll come down to the team that executes their game and gets the timely hits when they need them.”

After his team defeated Hononegah, 10-3, on Thursday to advance to today’s sectional final, Jacobs coach Jeremy Bauer emphasized the importance of replicating their semifinal performance. The Eagles (22-10) racked up 15 hits against Hononegah and played an error-free game behind junior pitcher Marissa Lombardo, who tossed a four-hitter.

“We just have to work on some points for a team we’ve seen three times already,” Bauer said. “I think we have a pretty good idea of what to expect.”

C-G freshman pitcher Lindsay Efflandt is one of every team’s major concerns. The Trojans’ ace has been dealing all year and started the postseason by throwing a perfect game against Crystal Lake South in a C-G Regional semifinal.

Efflandt tossed a three-hitter Wednesday during the Trojans’ 6-0 win against Elgin in a sectional semifinal. Junior right fielder Eleni Polites, junior center fielder Alexis Haley, junior shortstop Emma Gaulke, senior first baseman Abbe Wienckowski, freshman catcher Sarah Leudo, sophomore left fielder Taylor Dunne, senior third baseman Colette Roth and senior second baseman Amy Palminteri round out the Trojans’ lineup.

Jacobs (22-10) counters with its own powerful offense. Junior shortstop Jenna Teson, senior center fielder Sara Jacobson, junior third baseman Kara Arceneaux, junior first baseman Kelsey Peterson, Lombardo, freshman second baseman Nicky Chapa, senior right fielder Brook Frederiksen, junior catcher Ashley Morales and junior Amber Livingston hit for the Eagles.

Marengo is the area’s only team remaining in Class 3A, and the Indians (35-4) will face Antioch (25-5) in the Prairie Ridge Sectional final at 11 a.m. today.

The Indians beat Prairie Ridge, 3-2, in Wednesday’s semifinal, and the Sequoits beat Wauconda, 10-2, in Thursday’s semifinal to set up the teams’ second meeting this season. Marengo beat Antioch, 2-0, on April 12.

Danielle Simons struck out eight and scattered three hits during the teams’ first meeting. She likely will face Antioch’s Olivia Duehr, who tossed a three-hitter and fanned six Thursday against Wauconda.

“They’re going to come out and hit,” Marengo coach Dwain Nance said. “It was early in the year when we beat them, so we know some things will be a little different this time. We just can’t give them anything. We’ll have to pitch well and play a mistake-free game.”