Softball
Marengo senior Reed Karsten took a little longer with the recruitment process than some softball players.
The bygone year saw a lot of “firsts” in McHenry County athletics. There were first state champions for schools around the area, record-setting performances, and some athletes who proved they were not only the best in the area, but best in the entire state.
Riley Stanton relishes being in a position of authority on the softball field.
Softball pitcher Lindsay Melson wrestled with her college decision for several months, with NCAA Division I Louisville and University of Illinois-Chicago leading the way.
Dwain Nance would rather his Marengo softball team go through its season relatively unnoticed.
When Lindsay Efflandt looks back on Cary-Grove’s softball season, it’s not the plays she made that stand out to her.
Mike Schmidt felt compelled to personally congratulate Chloe Montgomery.
Here’s a little trivia for Marengo softball fans: What do Alysa Grude and Becky Weinhandl have in common?
MARENGO – Moments like these call for more than the traditional drum roll. A drum line was more appropriate.
EAST PEORIA – Ashley Borhart and her father, Jason, hadn’t really been trying to one-up one another this week.
EAST PEORIA – Taylor Carlson sent the 12th pitch of her at-bat toward left field and softly dropped her bat as the most important play of the year unfolded.
EAST PEORIA – Marengo’s softball team has made no secret of its intentions now that the Indians have secured their spot in the IHSA Class 3A state championship game.
EAST PEORIA – When the ball fell into the gap between the shortstop and the center fielder to end her no-hit bid, Chloe Montgomery shrugged her shoulders, smiled at her teammates and turned to face the next batter.
Sometimes the pitches are about 52 or 53 mph, just painting the corners and hanging out there daring batters to swing.
Maureen Lynch’s scouting report on the rest of the IHSA Class 3A Softball State Tournament field:
When Marengo’s team bus pulled into the EastSide Centre in 2008, Alysa Grude, Chloe Montgomery and Lauren Roudabush tried to savor the moment.
DeKALB – Lesser players might have wilted under the pressure.
DeKALB – By the time Alysa Grude was nearing second base, she started to think that maybe – just maybe – she had done something incredible.
Retooled Marengo team exudes cautious confidence entering today's supersectional
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.
ROCKFORD – In the bottom of the second inning, Cary-Grove sophomore Lindsay Efflandt stepped into the batter’s box and drilled a pitch high and deep toward left-center field.
ROCKFORD – With no outs in the top of the fifth, Emma Gaulke suddenly realized that she could break for home plate from third base relatively unnoticed.
GRAYSLAKE – The expressions on the faces of Marengo softball coach Dwain Nance and his players said it all.
Antioch might be a familiar opponent, but Marengo’s softball team doesn’t think it really has seen the Sequoits this season.
HAMPSHIRE – Four innings of scoreless softball was making Marengo’s players nervous.
Athlete of the week
McHENRY – Eleni Polites had no interest in letting go of the regional championship plaque Friday after Cary-Grove’s game against Grant for the IHSA Class 4A McHenry Regional title.
ROCKFORD – The Jacobs softball team took advantage of four Crystal Lake South miscues, including three throwing errors, to win the IHSA Class 4A Jefferson Regional, 6-2, on Friday.
BYRON – Danielle Stralow threw 10 pitches in the first inning to strike out the side.
ROCKFORD – Crystal Lake South pitcher Sam Golf knew the Gators’ defense had her back. She just needed a reminder at the right time.
HAMPSHIRE – A five-inning, 17-1 semifinal victory at the Class 3A Hampshire Regional has Marengo’s softball team feeling good.
HUNTLEY – Brett Kale racked up eight strikeouts in six innings and did not allow a run to Jefferson in Jacobs’ 6-2 IHSA Class 4A Huntley Regional baseball victory Monday.
RICHMOND – Richmond-Burton’s Haylea Hoskins singled in Carley Battalini in the bottom of the eighth to cap an amazing comeback against Woodstock North in the IHSA Class 3A R-B Regional play-in game Monday.
CARY – Monday’s regular-season finale seemed to be a perfect way for the Cary-Grove and Marengo softball teams to tune up for the postseason.
Before softball season started, opponents were starting to think about how they would take on Crystal Lake Central.
It has been no secret that Cary-Grove’s softball team has high expectations for itself this season.
GURNEE – McHenry’s No. 1 doubles team, Dave Robinson and Jake Romme, qualified for the IHSA Boys Tennis State Tournament and defeated a pair from Grant, 7-6, 6-0, for third place Saturday at the Gurnee Warren sectional.
DURAND – The Harvard softball team won its second consecutive regional title with a 4-3 win against Durand-Pecatonica in the IHSA Class 2A Regional final Friday.
Athletes of the week
HAMPSHIRE – Simply denying goals just isn’t enough for the Marian Central girls soccer team’s defense.
CARY – With her sixth strikeout Monday, Cary-Grove sophomore pitcher Lindsay Efflandt reached 200 for the season, leading the Trojans to a 3-0 Fox Valley Conference Valley Division victory against Crystal Lake South.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Kirsten Stevens didn’t like the way the ball sounded when it came off her bat in the second inning of Prairie Ridge’s softball game against Johnsburg on Monday.
All the pieces were in place for Jerry Lagerhausen to have a successful softball season this year at Alden-Hebron.
MARENGO – Megan Semro knew a two-run advantage wasn’t going to be enough for Marengo’s softball team to outlast Huntley on Saturday.
Athlete of the week
CARY – Eleni Polites’ bunt single to lead off the bottom of the first inning Friday exactly was how Cary-Grove’s softball team intended to come out against McHenry.
HARVARD – Carlie Gabrys hit a two-run, one-out double in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift Harvard’s softball team to a 7-6 victory against Hampshire on Wednesday in Big Northern Conference East Division play.
JOHNSBURG – It was the Madie Edwards and Sarah Benhart show for Crystal Lake Central on Tuesday. Edwards scored all of the Tigers’ goals and Benhart assisted on them all in a 3-0 Fox Valley Conference Fox Division soccer win against Johnsburg.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Jacobs’ softball team was in jeopardy of letting one slip away after Crystal Lake South scored three times in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the score.
