Indians tap way to title
By TIM FROEHLIG - editorial@nwherald.com
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| Marengo softball players celebrate beating Grayslake North, 7-0, on Saturday in the Class 3A Grayslake Central Sectional title game. (Candace H. Johnson - Shaw Suburban Media) |
GRAYSLAKE – It didn’t take Marengo’s softball team long to set the tone against Grayslake North during the IHSA Class 3A Grayslake Central sectional title game Saturday.
One pitch, to be exact.
Indians senior leadoff hitter Lauren Roudabush laid down a bunt on the first pitch of the game for a single, which was followed by a two-base throwing error by the Knights, putting Roudabush at third before the game was even a minute old.
Two batters later, Marengo third baseman Stephanie Cartwright put down a suicide squeeze bunt, giving the Indians a 1-0 lead. Marengo added a run and two more hits in the inning to make it 2-0 – including another bunt single by Abby Kissack – and the Indians cruised to a 7-0 victory.
The Indians will face Sycamore in the Northern Illinois University Supersectionalat 4 p.m. Monday in DeKalb. At stake is a trip to the state semifinals in East Peoria.
“We came out of the gate swinging the bats and scoring early, and I thought that was important,” Marengo coach Dwain Nance said. “We lost the coin toss before the game, and we were the visitors, but I didn’t think that was a bad thing because then we could score first ... and we did.”
The Indians didn’t stop there. They also took advantage of two North errors in the second, which helped them score four more times in the inning for a 6-0 lead.
And as hot as Marengo’s bats and the on-field temperature were, Indians starting pitcher Chloe Montgomery’s left throwing arm was scaulding. Montgomery took a no-hitter into the fifth before allowing Knights designated player Christina Freese to reach on a single to center.
Montgomery (23-6) tossed her second complete game in three days, this time allowing a walk and two hits. She didn’t allow a runner to reach scoring position and faced two batters above the minimum, thanks in part to a rocket throw from catcher Taylor Carlson on a stolen base attempt in the second inning.
“It’s better to play with the lead,” Montgomery said. “That’s what we always try for, and it gives you even greater confidence out there. It definitely took some of the pressure off me and the rest of the team.”
Marengo (30-9) tacked on a run in the fourth. Roudabush doubled to lead off the inning, then scored on a dropped fly ball two batters later, making it 7-0.
“They just did a better job of executing and taking advantage of the opportunities they had today than we did,” North coach Molly Jones said.
The Knights (22-11) were making the first sectional final appearance in the school’s brief history.
In a sectional semifinal against Antioch on Thursday, Marengo’s Nos. 6-9 hitters accounted for all three of the team’s runs. On Saturday, the Indians’ 1-3 hitters scored five of their seven runs – led by Roudabush, who set the table all game. In the leadoff slot, she singled twice, doubled, drove in a run and scored three times.
It’s that kind of top-to-bottom production the Indians hope helps them advance to their first trip downstate since 2008, when Marengo finished fourth in Class 3A. Montgomery and Roudabush were freshmen playing on the varsity team that season.
“The two teams [2008 and this year’s] aren’t the same, because [in 2008] we weren’t expected to go downstate,” Roudabush said. “Since then, we’ve played well enough to have a lot of success here. We’re in a groove right now, and it’s nice to keep going.”
