ADDISON -- It's too bad for St. Edward that Driscoll will be closing its doors this year because the Addison school has become a sweet home away from home in the postseason for the Green Wave.

For the second straight year the top-seeded Wave traveled to face the second-seeded host Highlanders in the Driscoll Class 2A Regional championship game and for the second straight year, St. Edward came home with the title after a 3-1 victory on Saturday.

The Green Wave (19-12) advances to the Lisle Sectional where it will play the host Lions on Thursday at Benedictine University.

"Last year, we kind of surprised some teams," said St. Edward coach Mike Rolando. "I don't think that was the case this year, but I knew if we came in here and played the way we know how, we could get out of here with another win. We ran ourselves out of some innings early, but we kept our heads up and stayed confident."

The game was deadlocked 1-1 until the bottom of the fifth when the Green Wave scored twice to take the lead. St. Edward had its opportunities before that, but left three runners stranded in scoring position, and had runners thrown out at third and home in the first four innings.

However, senior Megan Smith erased all that in the fifth when she came through with a timely two-out triple down the right-field line to score Madeline Foehringer to put the Wave ahead 2-1. Smith then scored on a single by Kristina Brockner.

"I wasn't even thinking about being nervous," said Smith. "We've practiced just about every situation, so I knew I could do it. I was just going up there ready to take the ball wherever she pitched it. It feels so great to win the regional title again. It feels even better than last year because it seems like we had to work even harder this year."

Sophomore Sarah Field (19-8) fired a two-hitter while striking out four and walking three for the win. The only run she allowed was unearned, and she finished strong by retiring 13 of the last 14 batters she faced.

"They are a really good hitting team," said Field. "So I knew I had to keep the ball down. I just want to thank my defense because they all did a great job."

St. Edward's first run came in the bottom of the first. Kristi Knott led off with a single, advanced to third on an error and came home on a groundout by Brockner.

St. Edward (18-12), which matched last year's win total, will meet the winner of today's game between Driscoll and Woodlands Academy on Saturday at 11 a.m. in the regional championship game. The Green Wave and Highlanders split their two Suburban Catholic Conference games this season.

Sarah Field, Madeline Foehringer and Kristina Kolodziejczyk combined for a five-inning no-hitter for the Green Wave, which pounded out 13 hits and took advantage of 10 errors by Willows (5-11).

"We've been a little injury-ridden lately so we need to make sure we keep our people healthy," said St. Edward coach Mike Rolando, who led the Wave to an Elite Eight appearance a year ago. "We got everyone a couple of at-bats today and then we brought some sophomores in who did a nice job of getting the bat on the ball."

The Green Wave scored 7 runs in the first inning to put the game away early. Megan Smith, Kristina Brockner and Kolodziejczyk each had RBI in the inning and Field had a 2-run double. Field duplicated that in the second inning when St. Edward scored 5 runs. Ricki Tierney also had an RBI in the inning.

Tierney, Maddie Kerr and Kolodziejczyk each had RBI in the third inning and Veronica Rolando and Kerr drove in runs in the fourth.

The Green Wave played without Lea Diaz, the team's starting shortstop and one of its leading hitters, who suffered an eye injury in practice Monday. Having lost Kelsey Richmond and Taylor Lundquist to injuries recently, St. Edward called sophomores Morgan Garland, Salli Slack, Ana Peterson, and Darcy Gaige up for the postseason and they all contributed to the win Tuesday. Sophomore Cara Wolf filled in for Diaz at short and played an errorless game.

"Sarah pitched great, we got her a couple innings of work, and then Madeline and Kolo did a nice job," said Rolando. "We just need to fine tune our hitting and pick up some hits for Lea to compete with Driscoll Saturday."

After compiling a 17-12 record this season, the top-seeded St. Edward softball team will begin its postseason run on Tuesday against fourth seed Willows Academy in the Driscoll Class 2A Regional.

The team is young, but coach Mike Rolando is confident that its regular season has provided ample experience for the girls to build on.

"We've been through a little bit of everything," Rolando said. "We've won games in the bottom of the seventh inning, we've lost them in the bottom of the seventh inning. People have been in and out of slumps, and I sort of feel like we've weathered the storm and given our young girls some experience."

The youth movement will certainly be felt in the pitching circle on Tuesday as the Green Wave will send sophomore hurler Sarah Field to pitch its postseason opener. Field has been the primary pitcher all season for Wave, compiling a 17-8 record, which accounts for every single St. Edward victory. She also owns and a sparkling 1.78 ERA.

"(Field) is a really good pitcher and really experienced," Rolando said. "She's pitched about 90 percent of our innings and she plays travel ball and plays over the summer and goes to lessons once a week. She's a lifer softball pitcher."

Field has also done her part with the bat, having driven in a team-high 27 runs while sporting a .305 average. Sophomore Lea Diaz leads the team with a .419 average and 33 runs scored.

Juniors Kristina Brockner (.374, 20 RBIs) and Kristi Knott (.310, 22 runs) have also been productive for St. Edward.

"We've seen a lot of teams," Rolando said. "That was important to me, to get the girls see a lot of different teams. We've played some ranked teams this year, some 3A and 4A teams this year. We've seen some good pitchers because that's what we want to be ready to face in the postseason."

Sarah Field scattered 5 hits and struck out seven with no walks in pitching her second straight shutout for the Green Wave (14-9, 5-3).

Stephanie Werner and Kristina Brockner each drove in runs for St. Edward as well.

After losing 11-2 in the opening round against Chicago Christian, the Green Wave bounced back to beat Farmington 6-3 and then came from behind in the seventh inning to defeat Hampshire 5-4 in the fifth-place game on a Megan Smith walk-off, bases loaded single.

It's the fourth time this season the Wave has won in the final at bat.

"We have experienced softball players who know how to handle the pressure situations," said St. Edward coach Mike Rolando. "They know when they make mistakes, they have teammates there to pick them up. It was really impressive the way we were able to come back today."

Marengo won the tournament with wins against Farmington, Chicago Christian and a 2-1 victory in the championship game over Illiana Christian.

Genoa-Kingston (8-4) beat Chicago Christian 3-0 in the third-place game.

St. Edward had fallen behind 4-3 in the top of the seventh inning against Hampshire when a throwing error scored a pair of runs.

However, the Green Wave (11-4) was not about to go down easy. Stephanie Werner led off the bottom of the seventh with a double, then later scored the tying run on a one-out double by Sarah Field.

After an intentional walk to Lea Diaz, Smith came up and lifted a fly to right center that dropped in over a drawn-in out field for the game winner.

"She's one of our captains and a real clutch hitter," said Rolando. "When they walked Lea to get to her, she was pretty excited about getting the opportunity to win it."

In its first game, the Green Wave was plagued by five errors. Madeline Foehringer took the loss. Kristina Brockner and Kristi Knott had RBI singles.

In its second game, St. Edward trailed Farmington 3-2 after five before rallying for two unearned runs in the sixth and two insurance runs in the seventh.

Field went the distance for the win, allowing just four hits. She also had an RBI single.

Brockner and Knott also had RBI hits in the game.

Veronica Rolando (2-for-4, double) came home to score the winning run on a wild pitch to send the Green Wave to 9-3 overall and 2-0 in the SCC.

St. Edward had tied it up at 4 in the bottom of the seventh when Kristina Kolodziejczyk came in on a sacrifice bunt from Madeline Foehringer.

Stephanie Werner (4-for-5, RBI), Kristina Brockner (3-for-4, double, RBI) and Kristi Knott (2-for-4, double, RBI) all had good days at the plate.

The senior was 2-for-2 and drove in three of the Green Wave's four runs.

St. Edward (8-3, 1-0) also received a strong effort in the circle from Sarah Field, who pitched seven innings and allowed just one unearned run while striking out eight.

St. Edward 27, Rockford Christian 1: Kristi Knott (3 RBI) and Veronica Rolando (6 RBI) each had 4 hits and St. Edward (7-3) pounded out 24 hits in this easy nonconference win. Lea Diaz (5 RBI) added 3 hits for the Green Wave, including a home run, while Kelsey Richmond (3 RBI) added 3 hits including a double. Sarah Field and Madeline Foehringer each pitched 2 innings with Kristina Kolodziejczyk finishing up. Field, who struck out five, was credited with the win.

The Green Wave (6-3) won 5-4 and lost 3-2 in Game 2.

Sarah Field (6-2) was the Game 1 victor, tossing a complete game and allowing only one earned run on three hits and a walk. Field also fanned seven.

Kristi Knott and Megan Smith both had two hits, with Smith and Field each driving in two.

In Game 2 Madeline Foehringer took the loss allowing only one earned run on five hits and four walks. The St. Edward defense committed four errors in the defeat. Lee Diaz went 2-for-3 at the plate.

GENOA -- Having already been on the better part of some early season comebacks, the St. Edward softball team figured the tables would eventually turn at one point or another.

On Wednesday in a non-conference game at Genoa-Kingston, the Green Wave saw a 1-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth inning turn into a 4-1 loss, snapping a five-game winning streak.

"We had some uncharacteristic one-time mistakes that we'll learn from," said St. Edward coach Mike Rolando. "This is a good one. We came from behind last couple games. We have a lot of good teams on our schedule. Five in a row, then a little setback here, so we're gonna be OK."

The first three batters reached base for the Cogs in the fifth. Jen Clark started it out by coaxing a walk off St. Edward starter Sarah Field. Ashley Paulsen followed with a bunt single on what was supposed to be a sacrifice, and Paige Schons loaded the bases with an infield single that hit off Field's arm.

However, after a strikeout and a forceout at home, the Wave (5-2) was just one out away from escaping unscathed until Jami Miller (2-for-3) stepped to the plate.

The senior gave the Cogs (5-2) their hardest hit ball of the night when she drilled a line drive to the left-center field wall, scoring two and giving G-K a 2-1 advantage. Ashley Miller (2-for-3) then followed with a wind-aided bloop single to plate two more and G-K was well on its way to a 4-1 win.

"Just one bad inning out of seven," Rolando said. "A bunt we couldn't pick up, a ball off our pitcher and a popup the wind just took and we got a little turned around. Nothing that is broke, just caught some bad breaks and (G-K) is a good team and knows how to capitalize."

Field (5-2), a sophomore, pitched all six innings for St. Edward and gave up seven hits with five strikeouts.

"She did a nice job of nipping the outside corners," said G-K coach Mike Lauer. "I think we saw the ball a lot better later and the outside of the plate became kind of the middle. It had to do with seeing her a few innings."

Ashley Miller pitched a complete-game one-hitter for the Cogs and stayed composed throughout, despite a shaky performance from her defense, which committed three errors. The sophomore also struck out eight to improve her record to 2-1.

Field scored on an error in the second inning to give St. Edward its lone run of the game.

In a rematch of last year's sectional final between St. Edward and visiting Timothy Christian, the Green Wave notched a 5-4 win in eight innings Tuesday at the Elgin Sports Complex.

Junior Kristi Knott played the role of hero, doubling in Megan Smith in the bottom of the eighth inning to seal the Wave's win.

St. Edward (5-1) rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the fourth inning.

Sarah Field earned the win in one inning of relief of Madeline Foehringer, who pitched seven innings and allowed just one earned run while striking out seven.

Knott was 2-for-4 on the day. Lea Diaz was 1-for-2 with a home run.

Field also drove in the only 2 runs of the game, knocking out a fourth-inning single that scored Kristina Brockner, who had singled, and Kristi Knott, who had walked.

SOFTBALL

St. Edward sweeps -- The Green Wave beat Aurora Christian twice on Saturday, winning by scores of 11-0 and 13-3. St. Edward (2-1) pounded out 24 hits in a pair of five-inning affairs.

Sarah Field earned both wins in the circle, striking out nine and allowing only one hit in Game 1 and then coming on in relief in Game 2, tossing 4 1/3 innings and allowing only two hits.

Field also led the Green Wave at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three doubles and three RBIs in Game 1. In Game 2 Field belted a grand slam and picked up five RBIs -- one of which came when she was intentionally walked with the bases loaded.

Kristina Brockner had three singles in Game 2, and two RBIs in Game 1. Kristi Knott (4 hits) and Megan Smith (3 hits) each had good days at the plate. Lea Diaz reached base five times in the two games and scored five runs and Steph Werner had two hits and scored three runs in Game 2.

LaFerle, who battled knee injuries while playing on scholarship at Valparaiso, is currently teaching in Japan, according to Rolando, also a Valpo product.

"We are very excited to add another great softball talent to our staff," Rolando said in an e-mail.

Former Elgin High standout Jaci Corn is a current member of the Green Wave staff, serving as head freshman-sophomore coach.

Positive Rolando was just what Wave needed

St. Edward coach Mike Rolando brought a new outlook to the softball team this season, and that helped the Green Wave improve by 12 wins and capture its first sectional title.
Shauna Bittle | Staff Photographer

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The following was first-year St. Edward softball coach Mike Rolando's answer to a question listed on a preseason handout asking for last year's record:

"Does not matter. New era."

And just like that, the Green Wave improved by an area-best 12 wins (2007: 6-15; 2008: 18-12) while becoming sectional champs for the first time in program history. St. Edward's season ended with a heart-breaking 6-4 defeat in extra innings to eventual third-place finisher Morrison for the Lisle Class 2A Super-Sectional title.

There were bumps in the road, like a late-night team meeting in the middle of the season that was needed to hash out hard feelings. Above all else, there was also the thing about Rolando. Known up until this point as the Green Wave's optimistic and always-positive football coach, he had no previous varsity softball coaching experience.

But every team has issues. And some grievances are unfortunately not always dealt with, as possibly had been the case with St. Edward in recent seasons.

The St. Edward softball program needed someone that was optimistic and always positive. It needed "Coach Ro."

"All the kids want to know is they have someone who believes in the sport and each player on the team and who watches and cares about them," said Rolando, the 2008 Courier News Coach of the Year. "If you can do that you can get the kids to do anything for you. They will try their hardest regardless of the coaching philosophy and sometimes even experience.

"These girls definitely did that this year. They loved us (assistants Scot Brockner, Eloy Diaz and Jaci Corn) for taking the job and they respected us when they saw how much the coaches cared and how excited we were. They fed off of that and that kind of went back and forth with us."

For the record, Rolando, 34, didn't exactly come into the situation clueless to the ins and outs of the game. He's been coaching one of his four kids, sophomore Victoria, the past eight seasons through the ranks of Elgin Classic Little League.

He also had a brief baseball career during his days at Larkin -- where he starred as a quarterback -- to fall back on. Throughout the season, badgering his assistants and former coach Glenn Smith, as well as peppering area coaches like Burlington Central's Scot Sutherland and Lake Park's Cray Allen with questions, also aided in his rapid education. Continued support from his wife, Teresa, provided the motivation.

But it was on the sidelines of the football field where Rolando picked up his best trait, the rare ability to relate to today's high school athlete, boy or girl.

"He called a team meeting one night really late and every girl had a chance to speak their mind," senior Kelly Knott said. "I don't think we would have done that in the past. Most coaches try to stay out of drama.

"After that we didn't have any more problems, everything was out in the open. That's when we knew and he had all our respect."

Rolando will admit he walked into a pretty good situation with seven seniors returning, including six starters.

"I was expecting another rebuilding process here," said Rolando, who watched the program grow from 14 to 30 players after he was hired, allowing the Green Wave to field three levels once again. "From the beginning, I was amazed at the level of play these girls could play at.

"My coaching strength is discipline, respect and motivation. We wanted to show up on Day 1 and look structured and organized. As soon as the girls sense you don't have a plan things can go south fast. They bought into our approach and we became a family. It was really an amazing thing."

The Green Wave began the season 4-0, including a season-opening victory against Genoa-Kingston, before close losses to Class 3A sectional qualifier Burlington Central (5-0) and Class 4A sectional finalist South Elgin (3-1). A fourth-place finish in its own tournament was followed by another trio of competitive losses to Fox Valley Conference Fox Division champ Huntley (3A) and Suburban Catholic Conference runner-up Rosary, a loss later avenged.

Then the Wave took off. The team's season-ending loss snapped an eight-game winning streak.

"I didn't want to say too much or it would have brought a tear to my eye," Rolando said of his final post-game huddle on a hot afternoon in Lisle. "It was emotional for the coaches and the players. Nobody wanted it to end and that's how you want to end a season. We did some things nobody thought were possible. It was a sad day, but at the same time the culmination of an unbelievable season.

"Those seven seniors and all the girls on this team welcomed us into the program. It is similar to the football boys who helped us get my first win, kids like Matt Ardiente are etched in your brain forever. I will never forget them, this program will never forget them."

As far as Rolando's immediate future as the school's softball coach? He plans to stick around.

"I haven't officially been asked by (athletic director) P.J. (White) to come back, but I think we've started something here," said Rolando with a chuckle. "The seniors wanted to get the program back to where it once was and they did that. They have raised the expectations for the future and now there is some pressure on them to continue it."

Bartlett's Jim Wolfsmith, South Elgin's Jason Schaal and Central's Sutherland were also considered for Coach of the Year recognition.

Caris Alan, Elgin

A junior second baseman, Alan led the Maroons with a .416 batting average and was equally adept in the field -- committing only 2 errors the entire season. An all-Upstate Eight Conference pick, Alan punctuated her season with a 3-run, game-tying double against Larkin in regional play. "I don't think I've coached a kid in all of my years that hates to lose as much as she does," said Elgin coach Peg Corcoran. "That's a big deal. She's a great kid and a great competitor. Caris is a steady, heady player. No matter what, she came to play every day."

Lizzie Andrews, Jacobs

Think she's not trying hard? You're wrong -- that's just the way this Jacobs senior plays the game. "She has such natural ability she puts you to sleep," said Jacobs coach Jeremy Bauer. "You don't even think she's trying hard but she has such good decision making ability, it's just fun to watch her play." This season, the senior co-captain hit .433 with 3 home runs and a school record 42 RBI for the 27-4 Golden Eagles, who won the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division title outright and undefeated. She also had 12 doubles, 4 triples, a .732 slugging percentage and a .477 on-base percentage. A three-time all-area selection, she will play at Heartland Community College in Normal.

Lauren Areceneaux, Jacobs

An honorary co-captain of the all-area team, this Jacobs senior shortstop was the area's leading hitter at .565 and had 5 homers and 28 RBI for the 27-4 Golden Eagles, who won the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division title outright and undefeated. "She led by example," said coach Jeremy Bauer. "She told you how to do something and then she went out and showed you how to do it." The Loyola-Chicago recruit scored 48 runs, had 52 hits, including 7 doubles and 5 triples, and a .913 slugging percentage. She struck out only 8 times in 113 at-bats and is a 4-time all-area selection.

Sam Clemons, Huntley

Clemons, a junior, is a 3-time all-Fox Valley Conference selection who sports a 49-16 career pitching record with a 1.56 ERA. Clemons went 20-7 with a 1.98 ERA in helping the Red Raiders win their first FVC Fox Division crown this year. At the plate, Clemons hit .280 with 17 RBI. "Sam has had to carry the majority of the pitching load for us the last 2 seasons," said Huntley coach Mark Petryniec. "Every year, Sam has stepped up to the challenge and expanded her repertoire on the mound. Sam has already gone down as the most successful pitcher in school history and she still has her senior year to play." Clemons won 20 games for the second time in her career and is a 3-time all-area selection

Callie Dennison, Bartlett

Just a sophomore, Dennison played a steady shortstop and served as a backup pitcher for the Upstate Eight Conference champion Hawks, helping them to a 28-7 season record. Hit .360 with 3 home runs, 18 RBI and 13 doubles from the leadoff spot. Scored 34 runs, had a .560 slugging percentage and a .492 on-base percentage. Was 10-1 in the circle with a 1.83 ERA. "Callie worked very hard to improve between her freshman and sophomore years," said coach Jim Wolfsmith. "She worked very hard on her pitching knowing she's coming in as the No. 1 next year. She's got the whole package and I'd expect her to be a big-time player for us the next 2 years."

Rebecca French, South Elgin

One of several top senior pitchers in the area this season, this Storm right-hander led her team to a 23-11 record and the school's first regional title in any sport and a spot in the sectional finals. She was 13-6 with a 2.08 ERA and struck out 138 batters in 115 innings. "I think she's one of the best in the area," said coach Jason Schaal. Her won/loss record might not have been as great as some others but every time she stepped in the circle we knew we were going to be in the game." A two-time all-area pick, French will walk on at Division II Grand Valley State in Michigan. "She's a great kid and hopefully she has some success and makes the team at Grand Valley," Schaal said.

Jessica Gable, Crystal Lake South

Gable propelled the Gators into a Class 4A supersectional game by going 4-0 and allowing only 1 earned run in the team's first 4 playoff games (6-inning no-hitter in sectional title game). Gable then pitched 9 1/3 innings in a 4-3 10-inning loss to Barrington in supersectional action. "The entire team's attitude changed once the playoffs started," said South coach Scott Busam. "Jessica was the catalyst for this unbelievable run. She was our ace last year. She's our ace this year. She's a tough competitor and a fun person to be around." Gable, an all-Fox Valley Conference Valley Division pick, won 12 games and finished with a 1.58 ERA to go with 142 strikeouts in 155 1/3 innings (43 walks).

Ellis Hatchett, Larkin

Despite Larkin's tough season, this senior infielder shined, hitting .407 with 7 doubles and 14 stolen bases. Had a .480 on-base percentage and struck out only 14 times in 102 at-bats. "She's one of the most coachable kids I've ever had," said coach Larry Hight. "She's a three-year varsity player who went through the ups and downs with us. "She's always been a leader and we'll miss her a lot." Might try to walk on at NCAA Division III national runner-up Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Elizabeth Kay, Bartlett

Bartlett's junior catcher played with a broken finger the second half of the season and still hit .438 with 8 homers and 39 RBI. Had a .769 slugging percentage and a .567 on-base percentage and struck out just 7 times in 121 at-bats. Scored 43 runs and had 12 doubles and 2 triples for the undefeated Upstate Eight Conference champs who finished the season 28-7. "I don't know how many players would break a finger on Saturday and come back and play against one of the top teams in the state (Lake Park) on Monday," said coach Jim Wolfsmith of this Illinois State recruit. "She worked harder than everybody out there day in and day out." A 2-time all-area selection.

Ally Kent, Hampshire

Kent, a sophomore center fielder-pitcher, hit .402 and was second on the team in runs scored with 33. Kent, an all-Big Northern Conference East Division pick, led Hampshire with 11 doubles and was also tops on the team with a .652 on-base percentage. Kent went 7-6 in the circle, striking out 110 batters in only 89 innings while registering a team-low 2.36 ERA. "Ally is a great athlete and a great center fielder and was one of our top pitchers," said Hampshire coach Ken Bram, whose team won a regional title. "She was able to drive the ball and was fast on the bases. She puts pressure on the defense. Ally is a great kid and a great team player."

Kelly Knott, St. Edward

This senior shortstop led St. Edward to a turnaround 18-13 season that ended with an extra-inning loss to Morrison in a Class 2A supersectional. She hit .449 with 5 doubles, 5 triples and 14 RBI from the leadoff spot. Also scored 23 runs, had 22 stolen bases and had a .476 on-base percentage. "The list about Kelly can go on and on," said coach Mike Rolando. "She's definitely a gamer and the definition of hustle. "She was a clutch player for our team and a real sparkplug for us."

Kristi Knott, St. Edward

Just a sophomore, this Green Wave center fielder helped her team to an 18-13 record and a berth in a Class 2A supersectional. She hit .388 with 6 doubles and a team-high 19 RBI. Also stole 13 bases and scored 18 runs. "She has great softball knowledge and tremendous athletic ability," said coach Mike Rolando. "She's got a tremendous arm in the outfield and threw out three runners at the plate to win games for us."

Erica Maisto, Burlington Central

The most prolific pitcher in area history, this Rocket senior went 16-1 this season with a 0.25 ERA and 11 shutouts. She finished her career with a school and area record 76 wins. The honorary co-captain of the 2005 all-area team, she is a 4-time all-area selection. Finished the season with 126 strikeouts and only 11 walks in helping the Rockets to a 32-2 season and their fourth straight conference and fifth straight regional titles and a 128-16 record in her 4 years. In her career she was 76-10 and gave up only 44 earned runs in 542 innings (0.56 ERA). Also played left field this season and hit .279 with 25 RBI. She will continue her career on scholarship at Division II Upper Iowa University. "She had an outstanding season and career and has done a lot for this program in her 4 years here," said coach Scot Sutherland. "She was a silent leader for us and she should be a nice addition to the Upper Iowa program.."

Erin McGraw, St. Edward

This senior pitcher came on strong down the stretch and led her team to an 18-13 finish and a berth in a Class 2A supersectional. Finished the season 9-7 with a 1.62 ERA in 104 innings. Also hit .292 with 5 doubles. "She carried us at the end of the season," said coach Mike Rolando. "She fed off the competition from (freshman) Sarah Field and worked on her game. It was her senior year and she wanted to make the most of it. She just did a tremendous job for us."

Jenna Mychko, Huntley

Mychko, a 2-time all-Fox Valley Conference Fox Division pick, hit over .500 for the second year in a row -- this year registering a .513 average with 4 home runs and 36 RBI. Just a sophomore, Mychko sports a career .511 batting average (113-for-221) and a .751 career slugging percentage (.748 in 2008 via 89 total bases). Mychko also sported an unblemished 1.000 fielding percentage (197 total chances) this year and has a career .995 fielding percentage (388 total chances; 2 errors). "It is hard to believe that she is only a 15-year-old doing what she can do on the field," said Huntley coach Mark Petryniec. "Besides being our biggest offensive threat, she has been exceptional behind the plate. Jenna calls every game and has been a tremendous asset to our program." Mychko belted a critical game-tying homer in the regional title game this year.

Maggie O'Brien, Cary-Grove

This senior center fielder gave up her position when a teammate got injured to come in and play shortstop and helped the Trojans to an 18-14 season. She finished the season with a 16-game hitting streak and went 22 for her last 29. She only made 1 error in the outfield. "She really came on at the end of the year and did a phenomenal job of reading the pitcher and reading the defense," said coach Tammy Olson. The left-handed slapper finished the season hitting an even .400 and set a school record for stolen bases with 27. Also led her team with 26 runs scored and had a .466 on-base percentage.

Kayla Oranger, Burlington Central

An honorary co-captain of the all-area team, this Rocket junior shortstop had her best season yet, hitting .496 with 26 RBI and 43 stolen bases. Also had 4 triples, a .605 slugging percentage and a .522 on-base percentage. Scored 46 runs and had an area-high 64 hits. "She got us going," said coach Scot Sutherland of his leadoff hitter. "She's very versatile at the plate and a tough out." A 2-time all-area player she is being recruited by a variety of Division I programs.

Kim Pierce, South Elgin

A late transfer from Florida, this junior stepped into the center field spot at South Elgin and helped the Storm to a 23-11 season and the school's first regional championship in any sport. Hit .495 and led the area in home runs with 8 and RBI with 47. Also had 14 doubles, 4 triples, a 1.000 slugging percentage, a .519 on-base percentage and only struck out 5 times in 97 at-bats. She even stepped in to pitch a few games when needed and went 2-1 with a 1.94 ERA. "She's the kind of kid any coach would want to move in," said coach Jason Schaal. "She led by example. She just came in and played softball and helped us move to the next level. She's great kid and definitely a Division I prospect."

Brooke Porto, Burlington Central

A 4-year varsity player, this Rocket center fielder was a key part of the team's 32-2 season that included their fourth straight conference and fifth straight regional titles. In her 4 years on the BC varsity, the Rockets went 128-16. This season she hit .389 with 2 home runs, 25 RBI and a .458 on-base percentage. Also stole 23 bases and scored 36 runs. "She was a very solid defender for us throughout her 4 years," said coach Scot Sutherland. "She did an outstanding job of helping to lead the team this year. Offensively she could much more than just hit. She could beat out bunts and she was one of our quickest players."

Barb Posinger, Streamwood

Posinger earned her second straight all-Upstate Eight Conference selection thanks to hitting .298 and leading the team in doubles (7) and finishing second in RBI. Posinger was also a key cog for the Sabres in the circle, winning 8 games and striking out 92 batters in 144 innings of work. "Barb has been the backbone of the team," said Streamwood coach Lindsay Mulay. "She's a leader and a captain. She's meant everything to the team. Her batting average went up and she was able to hit her spots a lot more pitching and she added two pitches."

Megan Pozezinski, St. Edward

This senior third baseman missed her junior season with an ACL injury but came back strong to earn all-area honors for the third time. Finished the season hitting .309 with 2 home runs and 16 RBI in helping her team to an 18-13 season that ended with a run to a Class 2A supersectional. Scored 22 runs and had 8 stolen bases. "She started off slow but she really came on in the second half of the season and was a stead solid leader for us," said coach Mike Rolando.

Kari Rankin, Prairie Ridge

Rankin's senior season was at one point in jeopardy due to her having surgery to remove an abscess from her inner ear. But Rankin came back in April with authority and ended up hitting .542 with 8 doubles and 10 RBI. Rankin, who moved to left field from her normal third base slot after the surgery, slugged .678 and had an on-base percentage of .585. A four-year starter, Rankin earned her second-straight all-Fox Valley Conference Fox Division honor this year. "She's one of the hardest-working athletes I've ever had," said Prairie Ridge coach Mike Buck. "She's a great young lady. To come back with that determination at that level is truly a success story."

Megan Roadcap, Hampshire

Roadcap, a junior shortstop, led the regional champion Whip-Purs with a .438 batting average to go with 2 homers and 29 RBI. A transfer from Pennsylvania, this all-Big Northern Conference East Division selection led the team with 39 hits and also sported a .629 on-base percentage. "Megan is a wonderful shortstop -- a great fielder," said Hampshire coach Ken Bram. "She made some real nice plays besides the routine plays. She was really reliable at shortstop and really shored up our defense."

Mackenzie Scott, Burlington Central

One of the more dominant pitchers in the area, this 3-time all-area selection went 16-1 for the Rockets this season with a 0.78 ERA and 247 strikeouts (14.9 per game average), leading to 8 shutouts as she helped her team to a 32-2 record and its fourth straight conference and fifth straight regional titles. Opponents hit just .092 off her. Gave up just 35 hits in 116 innings. "She did an outstanding job and her potential is unlimited," said coach Scot Sutherland. "We're looking for her to be a leader for the program next year and someone for the kids to look up to. There's a lot of upsides to the things she has to offer.

Lauren Vitiello, South Elgin

South Elgin's first baseman had a breakout junior season, upping her batting average 200 points, hitting .539, which was second in the area. She also had 7 home runs and 41 RBI in helping the Storm to a 23-11 season and the school's first regional title in any sport. She had a .882 slugging percentage and a .573 on-base percentage and struck out just 8 times in 102 at-bats and had 10 doubles. "She's a great kid and a great hitter," said coach Jason Schaal. "If she continues to grow and make strides like she did this year, there's no telling how good she can be next year."

Becky Wilson, Jacobs

The senior mainstay in the circle for the 27-4 Fox Valley Conference Valley Division champions, Wilson, who transferred in from Las Vegas before her junior year, was 11-2 with a 0.84 ERA and walked only 14 this season, sharing time in the circle with freshman Kara Arceneaux. When she wasn't pitching she played first base for the Golden Eagles and finished the season hitting .261 with 13 RBI. "She's no different than any other kid," said coach Jeremy Bauer. "She's competitive for sure, but when she wasn't pitching she played a good first base for us. She was a really good teammate."

Lauren Wydra, Bartlett

Easily one of the best pitchers to ever come through the area, this 3-time all-area selection was 18-4 with a 0.80 ERA and 232 strikeouts for the undefeated Upstate Eight Conference champion Hawks, who finished the season 28-7. Also hit .354 with 3 home runs, 28 RBI and 6 doubles. "After 3 years of counting on her it will be a hard thing to swallow to see her gone," said coach Jim Wolfsmith. "We came to rely on her to do so much for us. She was a safety net and she was also an integral part of our program taking the next step. She's a left a lasting legacy."

Honorable Mention

Bartlett --Nicole Beck (Fr., IF), Concetta Lampugnano (Sr., OF), Megan Morales (So., IF)

Burlington Central -- Brittany Priest (Jr., 1B), Sam Gruner (So., C)

Cary-Grove -- Lindsay Fritz (Sr., 1B), Ellen Jesse (xx., xx)

Crystal Lake South -- Vicky Pyan (So., SS)

Dundee-Crown -- Lauren Howlett (Sr., 1B/3B)

Hampshire --Jessica Kraus (Sr., 3B), Jordan Moore (Jr., C), Kelsey Watson (Jr., 1B)

Huntley -- Alex Albanese (Jr., SS/2B), Deana Debosschere (Jr., 3B), Amanda Wisniewski (So., CF)

Jacobs -- Kara Arceneaux (Fr., P), Sara Jacobson (Fr., C/OF)

Larkin -- Sophie Sterricker (Sr., OF), Sarah McCleary (Sr., P/1B)

Prairie Ridge -- Anna Patras (So., SS), Erika Trojan (Jr., P)

South Elgin -- Caitlin Stredde (So., OF), Katelyn Stonecipher (Fr., OF)

Streamwood -- Melissa Abraham (Sr., 3B), Adrienne Pisano (Sr., C), Daniella Vida (Sr., CF)

Westminster Christian -- Katie Moeller (Fr., SS)

There are times when "on paper" isn't worth the paper it's written on.

Memorial Day afternoon at Benedictine University was one of those times.

Morrison's softball team came into Lisle as the heavy favorite to easily handle St. Edward in the Class 2A supersectional.

And why not?

The Fillies took fourth in the state Class A tournament last year and had not allowed a run in the postseason this year. Their senior pitcher, Ashlie Patten, had struck out 49 batters in the Fillies' four postseason games prior to Monday. They had dusted Byron and Genoa-Kingston by a collective 24-0 in the sectional.

But they hadn't faced the rejuvenated St. Edward Green Wave yet.

Yes, the end result was that Morrison prevailed 6-4 in eight innings. But the Green Wave made such a positive impression on so many people -- and there were a lot of people at this game -- that when the Wave's players, coaches and faithful fans wake up this morning and the tears are gone, they should immediately start looking back on what they accomplished this season and have nothing but smiles on their faces.

What this St. Edward team accomplished this season is scrapbook material for years to come. This was a program in disarray a year ago -- hey, let's face it, there was more negative press about St. Edward athletics as a whole last year than there ever should be at one high school.

The softball program had to let an uncertified coach go just before the start of the season. Coaches came in who tried hard but weren't really softball coaches, and the season ended with just 6 wins, only 21 games played, and people wondering what was going to happen with what everyone knew was a talented group.

Enter Mike Rolando, Scot Brockner, Eloy Diaz and Jaci Corn. With Rolando leading the way, and the entire program showing renewed enthusiasm, the Green Wave won 18 games and played their last contest in a game that no other softball team from Elgin had ever played in -- the supersectional, which we now know as the Elite Eight.

"The one thing we wanted to do was turn this program around and to go to supersectionals is really amazing," said senior co-captain Kelly Knott after Monday's loss. "It hurts to get this far and be one step away (from state). We became such a family this year. We didn't want this to be over yet."

It almost wasn't. The Wave rallied time after time after time, but in the end Morrison pushed across 2 runs in the top of the eighth.

Game over right? Not quite, said St. Edward. Even when Leah Diaz's screamer up the middle was blindly stabbed by Patten to end the game with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, and even as Morrison celebrated another trip to East Peoria, the Green Wave had gained something that someday the girls on the team will understand is just as important as any trip to state, and that's respect.

"That was the best team we've played all year," said Patten. "I've never had a team hit me like that in my life. I don't know if we overlooked them or what but that was an outstanding team."

When an opposing pitcher gives you those kind of props, you know you've done something right.

It's a pretty safe bet the St. Edward softball program is back on the map. There's a lot of people to thank for that -- most notably Kelly Knott, Megan Pozezinski, Erin McGraw, Celeste VonAhnen, Paige Maschinski, Megan Tourtellott and Meghan Petersen, the seven seniors who banded together to lead this team on the field. But every girl and every coach in the program contributed to the rejuvenation.

"We had coaches that believed in us," said junior Megan Smith, who will be one of the team's leaders next year. "Our coaches this year gave us confidence and lit the fire again."

"I'm just so proud of these girls and the way they battled all year," said Rolando, who quarterbacked Larkin's 1990 state quarterfinalist football team and played on the Royals' 1991 Elite Eight baseball team. "They should all keep their heads up and be very proud of what they accomplished. We're graduating seven seniors and we're going to miss them dearly, but we've got some good young girls coming back. This may have been a record-setting year for St. Ed's, but this is what will be expected from now on."

So is the Green Wave's head football coach ready to double up indefinitely?

"This will be a season I'll never forget with so many good memories. I'd say they've motivated me to stick with it," Coach Ro said with a smile.

A smile the entire Green Wave family should be wearing today.

Scratching and clawing their way back from deficits all day, the Green Wave came up just short in the end, falling to the Fillies 6-4 in eight innings and coming up a win short of reaching the state finals in East Peoria this weekend.

Morrison (23-4), which finished fourth in Class A last year, will make its second straight trip to EastSide Centre, and will play the winner of today's Champaign supersectional game between Beecher and Stanford Olympia in Friday's state semifinals.

"I think we proved today that we're just as capable as anybody of being down there," said first-year St. Edward coach Mike Rolando.

The Wave (18-12) pounded out 12 hits and struck out only seven times off Morrison senior Ashley Patten, who hadn't allowed a run in the postseason and had 49 strikeouts in her last four games.

But while the offense was clicking, the Wave left nine runners on base and the defense had a not-so-good day, as 4 of Morrison's 6 runs were unearned.

Erin McGraw (10-7) was the tough-luck losing pitcher, but she held Morrison in check for the better part of the day until giving way to freshman Sarah Field with two on and no outs in the top of the eighth. Field was greeted by a hard-hit double from Jordan Mann that plated the game-winning runs.

"McGraw pitched an awesome game against a team that had whooped up on Byron (14-0) and whooped up on Genoa (10-0)," said Rolando of his senior right-hander, who allowed 7 hits.

Morrison scored twice in the top of the first, using a throwing error to open the gate. But St. Edward came back in the bottom of the inning and showed it wasn't intimidated by the 6-foot Patten. Junior Stephanie Werner laced a one-out double to left field and scored from second when senior Megan Pozezinski beat out an infield roller with two outs.

Then, McGraw and Patten settled into a pitchers duel that had the Fillies still ahead 2-1 when they came to bat in the top of the sixth.

Unfortunately for St. Edward, another throwing error paved the way for 2 more Morrison runs and the Fillies took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth.

The never-say-die Wave, however, weren't going down without a fight. Kristina Brockner reached on an error, Celeste VonAhnen singled and Megan Smith singled to drive home courtesy runner Madeline Foehringer to make it 4-2. After a pop flyout, Werner (4-for-5) drove in VonAhnen and after a strikeout, Pozezinski (2-for-4) legged out an infield hit for the second time, scoring Smith with the tying run. But with runners at second and third Patten, got a strikeout to end the inning.

Even down 6-4 in the bottom of the eighth, St. Edward didn't give up. Kelly Knott beat out a one-out bunt, Werner got another hit and Kristi Knott walked to load the bases. After Patten got a strikeout for the second out, Diaz hit a screamer up the middle that Patten was able to deflect with her glove, pick up and throw to first in time to get Diaz and send the Fillies to East Peoria.

"I know some of the girls might think about the one or two things they did wrong today, but what they need to remember is the hundred things they did right all season to get here," Rolando said. "We had a lot of runners on base and we were hitting that girl up and down the lineup, we just had some uncharacteristic defensive mistakes today."

LISLE -- No one deserved to lose Monday's Lisle Class 2A Super-Sectional game at Benedictine University between Morrison and St. Edward.

Unfortunately, that served as little consolation to the Green Wave following a memorable 6-4 defeat in eight innings.

Trailing 4-1 entering the bottom of the sixth, St. Edward scored three runs off Morrison ace Ashley Patten to force extra innings only to see the Trojans score twice in the top of the eighth, immediately following a pitching change.

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St. Edward pitcher Erin McGraw took the loss against Morrison on Monday at the Lisle Super-Sectional.
Jessie King | For The Courier News

"It's never easy to look in the girls' eyes and see them crying and know that their season is over when they really deserved to be playing in the (State Finals)," first-year St. Edward coach Mike Rolando said. "I think we proved today that we are just as capable of being (Downstate) as anybody. Everybody remembers the one or two things you did wrong, but they should think of the hundreds of things they did right this year and take away a lot of positives. I'm proud of every single one of them."

Tied 4-4 to begin the eighth, Morrison (23-4) began the inning with a single and a walk off St. Edward senior starter Erin McGraw (106 pitches), which prompted Rolando to call on freshman Sarah Field to come in and attempt to quash the rally.

However, on her very first offering Field uncorked a wild pitch, moving both runners up a base, before surrendering a double down the left-field line on her next pitch that plated both runners.

"(McGraw) pitched an awesome game. For her to hold (Morrison) in check as long as she did was phenomenal," Rolando said. "Could she have pitched longer? You never know, but (Field) has been solid for us all year. Going into the eighth (inning) you had to figure our pitcher was getting a little gassed and it was time to bring (Field) in. She's a great pitcher too. They just happened to get a timely hit."

Added McGraw, who had three wins and a save in the team's four postseason victories: "It was really hard to come out, but I had all the confidence that Sarah would come through and pick me up. (Morrison) just had a good hit."

St. Edward (18-12) put itself in a position to win after rallying from a 4-1 deficit in the bottom of the sixth inning, parlaying a leadoff error and four hits into three runs. Morrison had taken the lead following two unearned runs in the top of the sixth.

Junior Megan Smith, junior Stephanie Werner (4-for-5) and senior Megan Pozezinski (2-for-4, 2 RBIs) all had run-scoring singles in the inning, the last of which was a two-out infield hit. McGraw (7 innings, 1 earned run, 4 walks, 8 hits, 1 strikeout) faced only three batters in the top of the seventh, but Patten returned the favor in the bottom of the frame to send the game to extra innings.

"Some of us were down after they scored in the sixth inning, but we all came together and picked each other up," said Kelly Knott, one of seven Wave seniors. "We knew we didn't want it to be over."

Morrison took advantage of nerves and uncharacteristically sloppy play by the Wave in the top of the first inning to jump ahead 2-0. Megan Nelson began the game with a first-pitch single. An error, a hit batter, a wild pitch, which scored the first run, and a two-out RBI single set up the runs.

"Of course there were jitters," McGraw said. "The field we were playing on and the team we were playing. Everyone was nervous and excited."

In a sign of things to come, St. Edward answered in the bottom of the first. Patten hadn't allowed a run in four previous postseason victories, including back-to-back shutouts against Byron and Genoa-Kingston. But she allowed a one-out double to Werner before Pozezinski beat out an infield hit that scored a sliding Werner, who just beat the tag at home plate after a throw from the first baseman.

"After (Morrison) beat up on Genoa and Byron they probably thought we were below those teams," said Rolando, whose team improved by an area-best 12 wins from a season ago. "This team had an attitude like they were looking past us almost from the moment we walked off the van. Thankfully, I think that inspired our girls. They kind of had a chip on their shoulder. They wanted to quiet the crowd real quick.

"We got some hits in the bottom of the first and I think they realized that they could play with this team."

Added Werner: "This is disappointing, but we tried really hard and that's all we can do. We became like a family this year and we worked so hard to get this far. We all wanted this so bad."

St. Edward outhit Morrison, which will make its second consecutive State Finals appearance in East Peoria this weekend, 12-8. However, St. Edward also held a 3-2 edge in errors, which led to three unearned runs.

"We made some uncharacteristic errors and we were a team that prided ourselves all year long on good defense," Rolando said. "On a stage like this things happen.

"While this was a record-setting season for St. Edward, this is going to be expected for years to come. We are graduating seven seniors who we are going to miss dearly, but we have six starters coming back and this was a program-building experience."

ELMHURST -- Each member of the St. Edward softball team took turns kissing the Timothy Christian Class 2A Sectional championship plaque Saturday before collectively hoisting the squad's latest piece of hardware high above their heads following a dominating 7-0 victory over the host school.

The moment was certainly fitting because it was another all-around effort that catapulted the Green Wave to the program's first sectional championship. Once again, St. Edward combined hitting, pitching and intelligent defense to get the win and advance to Monday's Lisle Super-Sectional against Morrison. Morrison downed Genoa-Kingston 10-0 on Saturday.

The Green Wave rapped out 11 hits, got a complete-game shutout from senior Erin McGraw and made all the right plays in the field -- a formula that has now allowed it to rack up four straight postseason wins. St. Edward (18-11) has won eight straight.

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Erin McGraw

» Click to enlarge image

Kristi Knott

After McGraw set TC (14-14) down in order in the first inning, St. Edward plated one run in the bottom of the frame on a sacrifice fly by sophomore Kristi Knott, scoring her sister, senior Kelly, who began the inning with a single off Janna Strodtman. In the third inning, St. Edward tacked on another run following a two-out double by Kristi Knott (3-for-3, 3 doubles, 2 RBIs) and a run-scoring single by Pozezinski.

"We went to the (batting) cages again early this morning to get ready. In practices we've been concentrating a lot more on our hitting," Kristi Knott said. "We're just trying to go out, have fun and hit the ball.

"I was really nervous actually before the game, but coach (Mike Rolando) told me to hit the ball as hard as I could and good things would happen."

McGraw (10-6), who now has three postseason wins, handled the rest. The right-hander needed only 66 pitches en route to tossing a four-hitter that included five strikeouts and two walks.

"I was really excited to pitch today," McGraw said. "We saw Timothy Christian play against Hampshire (on Wednesday) so we kind of knew what we were doing. But there was still pressure because this was for a sectional championship."

Added Rolando: "(McGraw) has been strong all year. This team had only been shut out three times all year so we expected them to score runs, but she came out and turned it up another level."

Ahead 2-0, St. Edward's defense took a turn stealing the spotlight in the top of the fourth after the Trojans put runners on the corners with no outs. One batter later, McGraw induced a grounder to Pozezinski, who threw home to catcher Kristina Brockner for the out. Brockner then fired a strike to third base to catch the trailing runner, who was attempting to go from first to third on the play. Shortstop Kelly Knott covered at third and easily applied the tag to complete the double play.

St. Edward then scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth, plating both runs on wild pitches, before adding three more in the sixth on RBI doubles by Kristi Knott and Stephanie Werner and a run-scoring single by Pozezinski.

The magic carpet ride the St. Edward softball team is on this postseason picked up some more steam on Thursday.

Despite the fact the Green Wave only had 3 hits, they parlayed 5 Westmont errors into 4 runs and then used a stellar 2 innings of relief pitching from senior Erin McGraw to down the Sentinels 4-3 in the semifinals of the Class 2A Timothy Christian sectional.

St. Edward (17-11), winners of 7 straight, will play for a softball sectional championship for the first time in program history Saturday when it takes on host Timothy Christian (14-13) at 11 a.m. in Elmhurst. The winner will meet Morrison or Genoa-Kingston in the Benedictine University supersectional on Memorial Day.

Quite a turnaround from a 6-win season a year ago that was filled with turmoil.

"We've come a long way," said senior third baseman Megan Pozezinsk, whose outstanding hook slide into home tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth.

"It's such a great feeling. I'm speechless right now. It's the greatest feeling in the world."

Westmont (8-19) struck first, scoring 2 runs off St. Edward freshman Sarah Field (8-5) in the top of the fourth on Raquel Pace's 2-run single.

The Green Wave bounced back in the bottom of the inning and tied the game, even after having a runner thrown out at the plate. Two Westmont errors and McGraw's RBI grounder plated Kristi Knott and Pozezinski with the tying runs.

Westmont came back to take a 3-2 lead in the fifth when Morgan Wilkinson's grounder eluded a diving Kelly Knott at short and scored Ashley Wilkinson with the go-ahead run.

But the Wave got the go-ahead and eventual winning runs in the bottom of the fifth with two outs. Kelly Knott reached on an error just before Stephanie Werner blooped a single to right, her second hit of the day. The Westmont right fielder then booted the ball, allowing Knott to score the tying run, and then threw wildly and out of play, allowing Werner the extra base home with what ended up being the winning run.

McGraw then entered the circle for the Wave and promptly set down all 6 batters she faced to preserve the win.

"I love situations like that," said McGraw. "I knew if they needed me I was there to help Sarah out and it just so happened she needed my help and I was there to give it to her."

Field did a commendable job as well, allowing 6 hits in her 5 innings.

"We have two great pitchers," said first-year St. Edward coach Mike Rolando. "We needed to get Sarah some work because she hasn't pitched the last couple of games and if we're going to accomplish our goals we're going to need both of them."

The next goal for the Wave is to win the program's first sectional title and then play in the Elite Eight supersectional round on Memorial Day.

"It's a totally different program," McGraw said of the Wave's turnaround this season. "The way it's run and everything. We just have so much heart this year."

Which is exactly what Rolando, the Wave football coach who has never coached high school softball before this year, saw on Thursday when his team came from behind twice to advance.

"They don't want to be done," he said. "They felt the end of their season on the doorstep and they dug deep and got it done.

"As coaches we walked into a great situation and we've got such a great group of seniors here. The girls are the team. Their heat, their soul and their determination just took over today. They want to go Downstate and they want some more hardware, so we're going after it Saturday."

ELMHURST -- St. Edward rallied twice from deficits in the late innings on Thursday to take out Westmont 4-3 and advance to Saturday's Timothy Christian Class 2A Sectional final against the host school.

On its fourth try, the victory was the Green Wave's first sectional semifinal win in program history.

St. Edward, also regional champs in 1999, 2002 and 2005, trailed 2-0 in the fourth inning and 3-2 in the fifth before scoring two unearned runs to take its first lead in the sixth.

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Stephanie Werner

"It doesn't get much more exciting than that," first-year St. Edward coach Mike Rolando said. "That came right from the hearts of the girls. To be down twice and battle back like that shows that they don't want to be done.

"They know they are still good enough to be playing and they know they are one of the best 16 teams in the state right now. They just felt the end of the season on the doorstep and they dug deep."

Trailing 3-2, St. Edward (17-11) scored both the tying and game-winning runs in the same sequence. With two outs in the fifth, senior Kelly Knott reached on a fielding error by the third baseman. One batter later, junior Stephanie Werner dumped a basehit into shallow right field. Running on contact, Knott scored when the right fielder booted the ball and Werner eventually rounded the bases after the throw home -- in an attempt to catch Knott -- sailed into the St. Edward dugout.

"When I saw them drop it I went to second and when I saw them overthrow it I went to third. I didn't even know that I was allowed to go home," said Werner, who had two of St. Edward's three hits. "I knew the season couldn't end. I just couldn't let it."

After getting the lead, Rolando turned the ball over to McGraw, who was the starting and winning pitcher in the Wave's two previous postseason games. And the rest is history -- literally.

"I was pumped to go in. I was ready," said McGraw, who recorded her fifth save of the season. "I love pressure situations and it just so happened that this time it went my way.

"As a senior this means the world to me. This is the most amazing feeling ever."

Werner, the team's No. 2 hitter, also kick-started St. Edward's first rally in the fourth inning. Trailing 2-0, Werner led off the inning with a single. Sophomore Kristi Knott then reached base on an error and moved to second on a wild pitch before senior Megan Pozezinski bounced into a force play, erasing Werner, but putting runners on the corners. Another error scored Knott, moved Pozezinski to second and allowed freshman Lea Diaz to reach first. Pozezinski and Diaz then pulled off a double steal, putting Pozezinski in position to score on an RBI groundout by McGraw.

"(Pozezinski) took off on her own and (Diaz) was heads up getting to second," said Rolando, referring to the double steal. "We did all the little things and that's what wins ballgames."

Field pitched well enough to keep St. Edward in the game, chewing up five innings. Westmont scored its first two runs in the fourth on a two-out two-run single on a 1-2 count and added another run in the fifth off Field on another two-out RBI single. Field (9-5) surrendered six hits with one strikeout and two walks.

"I was really excited to know I was going to start the sectional game," Field said. "I knew we were going to do good and whatever happened I knew my defense would be there to back me up.

"I was OK with (Rolando) taking me out because I knew it was better for the team and they were starting to hit me. And I had all the confidence that (McGraw) would finish it out."

Added Rolando: "We have two great pitchers and we need both of them to accomplish our goals. They were starting to hit (Field) a little and (McGraw) has been solid for us all year. We just thought she would be able to come out and shut them down for a couple innings and it worked out.

"These girls love the hardware and they will be after some more on Saturday."

ADDISON -- Pitching and defense have carried the St. Edward softball team so far this year, but all along coach Mike Rolando felt strongly that the offense would eventually come around.

On Saturday, the bats came around in a big way in the Driscoll Class 2A Regional championship game. The top-seeded Green Wave pounded out 18 hits and scored a season-high 14 runs to capture its first regional title since 2005 with a 14-4 win over the host Highlanders in six innings.

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Members of the St. Edward softball team celebrate after defeating host Driscoll for a Class 2A regional softball championship Saturday in Addison.
(Shauna Bittle/Staff Photographer)

PHOTO GALLERY

• Green Wave Champs

"We've been spending most of our practices working on our hitting," said Rolando, in his first season at the helm. "We were up at eight this morning in the cages. We've struggled on offense most of the season, but the thing is, we know we have some good hitters. It's just been one of those things where we've been in a cold stretch.

"We started hitting the ball better the last five games or so, but the bats really woke up today. We stepped it up and rose to the occasion."

St. Edward (17-11) advances to play Westmont in the Timothy Christian Sectional semifinals Thursday.

Against Driscoll, the Wave set the tone early, exploding for six runs in the first inning. Kelly Knott got things started with a leadoff double. One out later, Kristy Knott drove in her sister with an RBI single for the first run of the game.

Megan Pozezinski then delivered a two-run homer over the left-field fence. It was her second homer of the season. Megan Tourtellott added a sacrifice fly and Megan Smith closed out the scoring with a two-run single.

"We've really been hitting the cages a lot," said Pozezinski, who was a starter as a freshman for the last regional title team. "Everything finally came together for us today. I got the perfect pitch (on the homer) and as soon as I hit it, I knew it was gone.

"Ever since winning that first regional I couldn't wait to win another."

The Wave went into a bit of a lull in the middle innings, tacking on just single runs in the second and fourth to increase its lead to 8-0. Erin McGraw had an RBI double in the second and Lea Diaz drove in a run with a single in the fourth.

On the mound, McGraw (7-6) held Driscoll hitless through the first four innings before the Highlanders made things a little interesting with four runs in the fifth to cut the lead in half.

McGraw settled down after that to retire the side in order in the sixth. She finished with four strikeouts, just one walk and yielded four hits.

"This is amazing," McGraw said. "I don't have words to describe it. I was never worried. I knew my team had my back the whole way."

The Wave exploded again for six runs in the bottom of the sixth to end the game an inning early via the slaughter rule. McGraw had a two-run double to finish the day 3-for-4 with three RBIs at the plate.

Smith also got her third RBI of the game with a run-scoring single. Kelly Knott's second double of the contest knocked in two more runs to end the game.

St. Edward tried everything to break out of a midseason hitting slump.

The girls do mean, everything.

"Wiffle balls, popcorn -- everything we could find to throw at them, we did," Green Wave coach Mike Rolando said. "Every day we opened the cages at 8 a.m."

On Saturday Rolando's girls bore little resemblance to the team that managed more than 3 runs just once in a nine-game stretch in late April. The Wave pounded out 18 hits, batting around in 6-run first and sixth innings, to beat Driscoll 14-4 in the Class 2A Driscoll softball regional final.

St. Edward (16-11), winners of six straight games, moves on to play Westmont on Thursday in the Timothy Christian sectional.

"Our bats were really cold earlier in the year; our pitching and defense kept us in games," said Rolando. "We kept telling the girls the bats will wake up. Today it seemed like it all came together."

Kelly Knott drilled the first pitch of the bottom of the first for a double and scored on Kristi Knott's infield single. Megan Pozezinski followed with a towering drive that cleared the fence in left field for her second homer of the year, making it 3-0.

"I knew the minute I hit it it was gone," said Pozezinski, who went 4-for-4 and scored 4 runs.

The Green Wave, who won their first regional title since 2005 and fourth in program history, had 11 batters come to the plate in the first, Megan Smith's 2-run bloop single finishing off the scoring.

That was more than enough for starting pitcher Erin McGraw, who came into the game with a 1.66 earned run average.

McGraw (8-6), who also went 3-for-4 with 3 runs batted in, held Driscoll hitless until the Highlanders (13-16) broke through for 4 runs in the fifth.

"It's nice when I know my team has my back," she said.

Down 8-0, Driscoll's Gina Maritote singled with two outs in the fifth for the team's first hit. She scored on Stephanie Ganster's line-drive single. Maggie Writt's 2-run double made it 8-4, where it remained until St. Edward's 6-run sixth.

"These kids had heart all year long," Driscoll coach Nick Christopher said. "All season long we've come back when we're down."

Kelly Knott, one of seven St. Edward seniors, doubled in the game's final 2 runs. The regional title is St. Edward's first since those seniors were freshmen.

"We really wanted this one," said Pozezinski, another senior. "It feels great."

The top-seeded St. Edward softball team rolled to a 16-0 five-inning win over Luther North Tuesday in the Class 2A Driscoll regional behind a three-pitcher no-hitter.

Erin McGraw (7-6), Sarah Field and Meghan Petersen combined on the no-hitter for St. Edward, which also pounded out 18 hits.

Lea Diaz (3B, 2 RBI), Kristi Knott (2B) and McGraw (2 RBI) each had 3 hits for St. Edward (15-11) while Kelly Knott (RBI) and Megan Tourtellott (RBI) each had 2 hits. Senior Megan Pozezinski continued her hot streak with 2 doubles and 3 RBI, while Madeline Foehringer and Stephanie Werner each had RBI as well.

St. Edward will play for the regional championship at 11 a.m. Saturday against the winner of today's game between Driscoll and Willows Academy.

Hampshire 19, St. Benedict 0: With a 13-run first inning, Hampshire (17-13) earned a bid to the Class 2A Walther Lutheran regional final, which will be played at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The second-seeded Whips will face the winner of today's game between No. 3 seed Walther Lutheran and No. 5 Chicago Latin.

"Everybody hit the ball well, and everybody hit," said coach Ken Bram of Tuesday's win. "It was a great all-around effort."

Ally Kent had 3 doubles, while Jordan Moore (3b), Tina Tuminaro (2b) and Jessica Kraus (2b) added extra base knocks. Kent was also untouchable in the circle striking out all nine batters she faced in 3 innings of work.

ADDISON -- Luther North stood little chance against top-seeded St. Edward on Tuesday in the semifinals of the Driscoll Class 2A Regional.

St. Edward dominated Luther North in all facets of the game, parlaying a combined no-hitter -- the team's first of the season -- with 15 hits and flawless defense on its way to a 16-0 victory in five innings.

St. Edward (15-11) will next play either No. 4 Driscoll or No. 7 Willows Academy on Saturday for the regional championship. The winner of that game advances to the semifinals of the Timothy Christian Sectional.

"The girls were loose before the game and they came out ready to go," first-year St. Edward coach Mike Rolando said. "We played well. We started early and we continued to hit the ball."

The Wave's Erin McGraw, Sarah Field and Meghan Petersen all took turns baffling the Wildcats, facing the minimum number of batters. McGraw committed an error fielding a grounder against North's first batter, but that runner was caught in a rundown attempting to steal one pitch later. One out later, McGraw issued a walk, but another caught stealing erased what would turn out to be Luther North's final baserunner.

"I just go out and pitch and let the defense do the work behind me," McGraw said. "We came into this game with our heads on. Everybody contributed in this win."

St. Edward didn't waste any time jumping on North, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning following a leadoff single by senior Kelly Knott. Four errors and two hits later, including a two-run double by McGraw (3-4, 2 RBIs), and the Wave was off and running. Freshman Lea Diaz, who finished 3-for-3 with three RBIs, also had an RBI single in the inning.

As impressive as St. Edward's first-inning outburst was, that was nothing compared to what the Wave had in store for the Wildcats in the second inning.

When it was all said and done, St. Edward sent 16 batters to the plate leading to two pitching changes and 11 runs. After a flyout to begin the frame, 10 consecutive batters reached base on six hits, three errors and a walk. Six different players recorded an RBI in the inning, including Diaz and sophomore Kristi Knott (2-for-3, 2 RBIs), who both had two hits in the inning.

"Our bats have been heating up lately and they continued that today," Rolando said. "The win was great, but they need to forget this game as soon as they can. We are going to see faster pitching and better defense (Saturday) and they are going to need to be ready."

McGraw pitched the first two innings. Field also pitched two innings, striking out three. Petersen threw the final inning. Injured sophomore catcher Kristina Brockner did not play, but is expected to be available on Saturday.

It's safe to say now that the St. Edward girls softball program wasn't exactly peaking when the 2007 season ended.

Coaching changes, missing players and inexperience in the field, at the plate and on the mound all played crucial roles in a 6-15 campaign for a team that was one year removed from a sectional appearance and backed by a strong history.

One year later, it's like all of that never happened -- sort of.

This year, St. Edward will enter the postseason as the top seed in one sub-sectional of the Timothy Christian Class 2A Sectional. The Green Wave sports a 15-11 overall record, which includes a 9-4 mark -- good for third place -- in the Suburban Catholic Conference.

"We don't talk a lot about last year much, but we remember it," said senior co-captain Megan Pozezinski. "I think what we've done this year shows just how much we've come from last year. We've finally gained respect back."

St. Edward didn't entirely start from scratch this season. The team had some talent in place and waiting in the wings.

It just needed someone to put it all together.

Enter the school's football coach, Mike Rolando. An unforeseen change from a distance, Rolando's encouraging and demanding presence has brought confidence back to a program that admittedly had lost some steam.

"(Rolando) says he's pretty soft on us compared to the boys," giggled Pozezinski, one of two four-year starters along with Kelly Knott. "We respect him for what he's done for us this season. Coming into the year we really didn't know what to expect. We didn't know who the coach was going to be and we didn't know who was coming back.

"Coach Rolando is a good coach and they (assistants) all know their stuff."

This season St. Edward has relied on consistent defense, timely hitting and the pitching arms of seniors Erin McGraw (6-6, 1.76 ERA) and Meghan Petersen and freshman Sarah Field (7-5, 1.76 ERA) to become more competitive.

Knott, the team's shortstop and speedy leadoff hitter, leads the squad in hitting (.430). Sophomore sister Kristi (.333) and seniors Pozezinski, Celeste Von Ahnen, Paige Maschinski and Megan Tourtellott have all had their moments. Juniors Stephanie Werner and Megan Smith and promising underclassmen Kristina Brockner and Lea Diaz, who has a team-high three home runs, have also been regular contributors.

"I think we have a really good chance to do well (in the postseason)," McGraw said. "Defense and hitting will be the key for us."

Brockner, a sophomore catcher, was injured Saturday running the bases in the Wave's final regular-season game -- an 11-1 victory over Immaculate Conception. Her availability for Tuesday's regional semifinal against either host Driscoll or Willows Academy is questionable.

"We've been talking about the postseason all year long," said Rolando, whose team has a four-game win streak. "Every game someone in this lineup is capable of having a big game. Our hopes are high for the regional. I think getting the No. 1 seed was pretty exciting for these girls. That was nice, but now there is a challenge to live up to."

Senior Day couldn't have been any better for St. Edward's softball team.

Led by their 7 seniors, the Green Wave scored an easy 11-1 Suburban Catholic Conference win over Immaculate Conception Saturday at the Elgin Sports Complex, closing the regular season with a 4-game winning streak.

"We've got a little streak going and we've got some momentum going," said Wave coach Mike Rolando, who team open Class 2A regional play Tuesday at Driscoll. "The bats are heating up and we've come a long way this year. The seniors have been the heart and soul of our team all year and I'm especially happy for them today."

Those seniors -- Kelly Knott, Megan Tourtellott, Megan Pozezinski, Erin McGraw, Paige Maschinski, Meghan Petersen and Celeste VonAhnen -- each contributed to Saturday's win. Most notably, Maschinski came up with a big 2-run single with two outs in the first inning, and went 3-for-3 on the day.

"I was nervous at the plate but I knew I had to do this for my teammates." Maschinski said. "We really wanted to win on Senior Day. It was a total team effort."

Kelly Knott had a hit and an RBI for the Wave (15-11, 9-4), while Tourtellott had a hit and scored 2 runs, Pozezinski had a hit and an RBI, McGraw had a triple, scored twice and was the winning pitcher, and Petersen and Von Ahnen had a hit each. Tourtellott also capably filled in behind the plate for sophomore Kristina Brockner, who will have an MRI Monday on an knee injury sustained against Rosary on Friday.

Now the Wave, who finished third in the SCC, will focus on the postseason, a place they feel they can spend some time playing in.

"I got to state with basketball and it's like a dream," said Maschinski. "I'm just really excited. Everybody's together and our team is really bonding."

Immaculate Conception (8-18, 1-12) was playing its third game of the day after beating Walther Lutheran and Maine East to win the consolation championship of the Fenton tournament.

Freshman Nina Vlahiotis had a double for the Knights and freshman Briana Iosco was the losing pitcher.

ELGIN -- In a final tuneup before the postseason begins, St. Edward's softball team bounced Suburban Catholic Conference leader Rosary 7-3 on Friday.

The Green Wave (13-11, 8-4) trailed by three runs going into the bottom of the third, but tied the game by scoring three in their half of the inning.

"It seems like every game we've had a different player step up and get the big hit," St. Edward coach Mike Rolando said. "It's nice to see the bats start to heat up as we get ready for regionals next week."

Added Kelly Knott, who singled and drove in three runs: "All the seniors wanted to go out with a bang and beat Rosary. It shows we're getting ready for the postseason.

"We're not all the way there yet, but it's a big improvement from where we were at near the beginning of the season."

Kristi Knott had a pair of hits, including a triple, drove in two runs and scored another for the Wave. Lia Diaz added a pair of singles, while Celeste Von Ahnen singled and walked.

Erin McGraw (4-4) threw all seven innings for St. Edward. She scattered seven hits and struck out two without walking a Rosary batter.

Here we go again.

Just as it used to be easy to look at the postseason pairings in volleyball and basketball, it was also easy to look at the IHSA softball state tournament and kind of figure, barring upsets, who might make it into sectional finals, supersectionals and even Downstate.

No more. With the advent of the 4-class system, predicting who might end up playing in East Peoria in a few short weeks is a crapshoot at best.

Class 1A and 2A regionals kick off next week with 3A and 4A moving into the postseason the following week.

In Class 2A, St. Edward and Hampshire both stand poised to win regional titles, if seeds hold. The Green Wave and Whip-Purs have been assigned to the same sectional, which curiously doesn't have a host yet, and there's a chance they could meet in a sectional final.

There's work to be done for both long before that would happen, though. St. Edward is the No. 1 seed in the Driscoll regional and Hampshire, the No. 2 seed of the sub-sectional, is the top seed in the Walther Lutheran regional.

"We've been saying all along we want to be playing our best ball at the end of the season," said first-year St. Edward coach Mike Rolando, whose team was 12-11 through Wednesday. "We've only lost to one Class 2A team all season (Genoa-Kingston) and I feel like we're peaking at the right time."

The Green Wave has been led all year by the senior leadership of shortstop Kelly Knott (.431, 5 triples), Megan Pozezinski and Erin McGraw. Pozezinski, who struggled at the plate early, has heated up in the last two weeks and helped the Wave to wins in 3 of their last 4 games after a 4-game losing streak.

"Poz's bat is really heating up right now and we're getting multiple hits and timely hits from a lot of players," said Rolando. "The 7-8-9 hitters are coming through and it can be anybody getting hot on any given day."

Sophomore Kristi Knott (.305) has come on strong lately while sophomore Kristina Brockner and freshman Lea Diaz have been consistent all season.

In the circle, Rolando has choices. McGraw has been solid recently and sports a 1.59 ERA while freshman Sarah Field has been consistent all year and is at 6-5 with a 1.96 ERA.

"Our pitching keeps us in games, Rolando said. "They throw strikes and let the defense work for them."

St. Edward will open regional play on Tuesday against the winner of Monday's play-in game between Woodlands Academy and Luther North. Fourth seed Driscoll would be the Wave's likely regional final opponent. St. Edward has downed Driscoll twice this season, 9-3 and 5-4. The Wave are after the fourth regional title in program history and first since 2005.

"I like where we're at right now, but we just have to take one game at a time," Rolando said. "The girls are feeling confident and it's great to have the senior leadership we do."

Hampshire, meanwhile, also enters the postseason with confidence. The Whip-Purs were 14-10 through Wednesday and second-year coach Ken Bram says his team is looking forward to the postseason.

"We're ready to go," Bram said. "It's been a good season; much better than last year.

The Whips, who open the Walther Lutheran regional on Tuesday against either Francis Parker or St. Benedict, have been led all season by junior Magen Roadcap, a shortstop who transferred from Pennsylvania and is hitting .421 with 19 RBI for the Whips this season. Jessica Krause (.343, 5 HRs, 25 RBI), Ally Kent (.393), Jordan Moore (.317, 16 RBI) and Tegan Singleton (.286, 19 RBI) have also been solid contributors. In the circle, Singleton (2.05 ERA) has 5 wins while Kent (2.56) and Katlyn McBride (2.16) each have 4.

Bram says defense will be the key to the Whips' success in the postseason.

"Our one downfall has been the bad inning," he said. "We've had some games where we're right there against good teams and then we have a bad inning of errors."

In Class 1A, No. 6 seed Westminster Christian (6-14) will host a regional play-in game against No. 7 Paw Paw on Monday, with the winner traveling to Newark to face top seed Earlville on Tuesday.

Westminster, in its first season of softball, has been led offensively this season by freshman Katie Moeller (.393, 14 RBI, junior Sarah Serrato (.351, 12 RBI) and freshman Julia Engen (.322, 17 RBI).

Erin McGraw keyed the triumph, improving her pitching record to 3-4 by striking out three, walking three and scattering six hits in a complete-game effort. She also added two hits at the plate and drove in a run.

Megan Pozezinski added two hits and scored a run, Celeste Von Ahnen tripled and scored, Kristi Knott had an RBI and run scored and Kelly Knott scored a run and stole a base for St. Edward (11-11, 7-4).

Daily Herald:  St. Edward 9, Aurora Central 4: Team captains Megan Pozezinski (2-for-3, 3b, run, sb, 2 RBI) and Kelly Knott (3-for-3, 2b, 3 sb, 3 runs, RBI) led the way for St. Edward (10-10, 6-3) in this Suburban Catholic Conference win. Kristi Knott (2-for-2) also contributed.

Erin McGraw (3 IP, 1 hit, no runs) got the win sharing time in the circle with both Sarah Field and Meghan Petersen.

With winds blowing at 30 miles per hour, the pitchers seemed to have a definite advantage over the hitters Saturday afternoon.

In the end, Huntley's pitching was a little better than St. Edward's. Getting solid efforts in the pitcher's circle from Samantha Clemons and Kasey Kane, the Red Raiders were able to sweep a nonconference doubleheader from St. Edward, 3-1 and 4-1 In Huntley.

"It was certainly a challenge to play today with the way the elements were," said Huntley coach Mark Petryniec. "Samantha pitched a great game and we just brought up Kasey from the JV team and she pitched great. She rose to the ocassion."

Not only did Kane, hurl a great game in Game 2, she came up with the clutch hit.

In 7 innings, Kane allowed just 1 run on 5 hits. She struck out six with 3 walks. In the bottom of the sixth with the score tied at 1, Kane delivered a game-winning 2-run single.

A third run then scored on an error.

In Game 1, Clemons was masterful after a tough first inning.

The junior allowed the Green Wave (9-9) an unearned run in the first inning. St Edward took advantage of 2 walks by Clemons and a Huntley error in grabbing an early 1-0 lead.

Clemons totally shut down St. Edward during the final six innings, allowing just 2 singles without allowing a run. For the game, the right-hander allowed 1 run on 3 hits with 9 strikeouts and 3 walks.

Huntley scored all 3 of its runs in the first inning. Jenna Mychko contributed a 2-run single while Arianna Albanese delivered a 2-out RBI single as the Red Raiders led 3-1 after one inning.

Like Huntley, St. Edward got a pair of solid pitching efforts. In Game 1, freshman Sarah Field blanked the Red Raiders during the final five innings on 1 hit. Retiring the final 12 hitters she faced, Field struck out six without allowing a walk.

In Game 2, senior Erin McGraw gave up 1 run on 2 hits through five innings. Huntley roughed up McGraw for 3 runs on 3 hits in the sixth.

"We got great pitching from Sarah and Erin," said St. Edward coach Mike Rolando. "There is nothing wrong with our pitching and defense. That is encouraging because pitching and defense wins championships. Right now, we are not hitting the ball. We hit the ball in practice and during off-season workouts. These girls are good hitters. They have a mental block right now. We just need to keep working on hitting drills in practice and keep working at it."

HUNTLEY -- In a competitive non-conference doubleheader, the Huntley softball team got the best of St. Edward twice on Saturday.

The Red Raiders won both games by scores of 3-1 and 4-1.

In the opener, both teams scored all their runs in the first inning. Samantha Clemons (11-4) earned the win for the Red Raiders, allowing just one hit with eight strikeouts and three walks.

St. Edward freshman Sarah Field was the tough-luck loser, striking out six and allowing three hits.

Offensively for Huntley (12-7), Jenna Mychko and Arianna Albanese both had an RBI each.

In Game 2, Huntley broke a 1-all tie with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Kacy Kane, making her first varsity start, earned the win with a complete-game four-hitter. Kane struck out seven and walked two. Kane also had two hits, including the game-winner on a two-out, two-run bases-loaded single.

Erin McGraw took the loss on the hill for St. Edward (9-10). McGraw struck out three and allowed two earned runs.

ELMHURST -- A day after dropping a close Suburban Catholic Conference game to Montini, St. Edward got back on track with a 3-2 win against Immaculate Conception on Tuesday.

Immaculate Conception threatened in the bottom of the seventh inning, but the game ended when St. Edward center fielder Kristi Knott cut down the runner at home plate for the final out.

"I really didn't have any worries," St. Edward pitcher Erin McGraw said. "I knew my defense would make the play and they did. We have high hopes for the conference and this was an important win for us."

McGraw earned the win with a complete-game three-hitter with five strikeouts. Two of the hits and one run were surrendered in the final inning.

Kristina Brockner and Kelly Knott both had two hits for the Wave (9-7, 4-2). St. Edward scored all three of its runs in the first inning, sparked by a Kelly Knott leadoff double.

"My job as a leadoff hitter is to get on base," Kelly Knott said. "It was nice to get some early runs and hold on at the end."

ELGIN -- Most opposing teams are well aware of Lindsay Decker's dominating abilities when she takes the mound for Genoa-Kingston.

On Saturday, in the third-place game of the Chicagoland Classic Softball Tournament, Decker also flashed some skills at the plate after ripping the go-ahead run-scoring double in the bottom of the sixth inning to beat host St. Edward 3-2.

» Click to enlarge image

Illiana Christian's Katie Persenaire reacts after being tagged out by St. Edward's Kelly Knott during the Chicagoland Classic on Saturday at the Elgin Sports Complex.
(Shauna Bittle/Staff Photographer)

On the mound, Decker was business as usual. After losing to St. Edward 1-0 in the season opener for both teams -- despite pitching a no-hitter -- Decker surrendered five hits this time around with nine strikeouts, one walk and one hit batter.

"Thank goodness we have (Decker) out there," G-K coach Mike Lauer said. "We ask a lot of her from game to game and she always gives it to us. We are always in the game when she is on the mound.

"And she had the big hit for us. A lot of people don't know that she is capable of driving the ball and she's just as clutch at the plate."

St. Edward began the day with a 9-1 win against IMSA before losing its last two (5-0 vs. Farmington and against G-K). The Green Wave led the Cogs 2-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning. The Wave (8-6) scored a run in the second inning after senior Celeste Von Ahnen began the frame getting hit by a Decker pitch.

Von Ahnen then came all the way around to score one batter later after a groundout and a throwing error. In the top of the fifth, St. Edward plated a run after Kristina Brockner (3-for-3) led off with a single. Pinch-runner Madeline Foehringer then stole second and scored on consecutive groundouts, including an RBI by Kelly Knott.

"We had (G-K) down. The girls were playing great," Wave coach Mike Rolando said. "It was nice to see that we were able to manufacture a couple runs.

"Our offense has been much improved since the first game of the year when we played them."

G-K (7-4) knotted the score with two runs in the bottom half of the fifth inning against St. Edward hurlers Erin McGraw and Sarah Field. McGraw started the game, but was pulled with runners at first and second and one out.

After entering, Field induced a groundout that moved both runners up a base before uncorking a wild pitch -- on an attempted pitchout -- to bring in the first run. Cogs leadoff hitter Jami Miller then delivered a hard single off Field to tie the game.

"It took us a while to get going," Decker said. "A couple people stepped up and started being verbal and that got things started."

Prior to beating St. Edward, Decker twirled a nine-inning gem in a 2-1 loss to eventual tourney champ Farmington. The Farmers scored the winning run -- using the international tie-breaker rule -- with a one-out run-scoring triple. Farmington then went on to beat Illiana Christian, which bounced St. Edward in the second round 2-0 for the title.

"I know the kids were pretty upset losing to (Farmington)," said Lauer, whose team lost in the title game the last two years. "They wanted to play for the championship again. But I was pleased how they stuck with it and it was nice to see them rise to the occasion and come back and end the day on a good note."

Genoa-Kingston's first scheduled game of the day was ruled a win by forfeit against Lake Forest Academy. After rain soaked the field overnight and early Saturday morning, only three fields were available for the first round of play in the eight-team tourney.

St. Edward began the day with a victory against IMSA. After plating three runs in the first inning, the Green Wave tacked on five more in the fourth on the strength of a two-run inside-the-park homer by freshman Lea Diaz. A triple by Kelly Knott, three errors, and an RBI single by Von Ahnen also contributed to the big inning. Field was the winning pitcher.

Diaz and Knott, along with Decker, were named to the all-tournament team.

"We played some great competition and we faced some great pitchers today," Rolando said. "That's what we are going to see down the road."

Against Illiana Christian, St. Edward managed just two hits against Jocelyn Oppenhuis while striking out 16 times. Illiana scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to break the game open.

St. Edward's Megan Pozezinski gets a lead off first base Saturday as Illiana Christian's Jocelyn Oppenhuis delivers a pitch during Illiana's 5-0 semifinal win at the Daily Herald Chicagoland Classic at the Elgin Sports Complex.

 

St. Edward's Sarah Field throws a pitch in Saturday's game against Illiana Christian in Elgin.

 

But while the Green Wave came away 1-2 and in fourth place in the 8-team tournament, what they did gain was some valuable experience against quality competition.

St. Edward (8-6) opened the day with a 10-1 win over IMSA before falling to Illiana Christian 5-0 in the semifinals and then 3-2 to Genoa-Kingston in the third place game.

"We improved today," said St. Edward coach Mike Rolando. "Our goals are to win our conference and be playing our best ball at regional time. We played some great competition and our defense continues to impress me. We faced some great pitchers today and our hitters are continuing to gain confidence against good pitching."

The Green Wave jumped ahead of G-K 2-0 going into the bottom of the fifth inning in the third-place game but the Cogs came back with 2 runs in the bottom of the fifth to tie and then won it with a run in the bottom of the sixth.

St. Edward scored both of its runs on Genoa errors -- Celeste VonAhnen scoring in the second and Kristina Brockner (3-for-3) in the fifth.

But St. Edward managed only one other hit in the game off Genoa's Lindsay Decker (8 Ks), that a single by Megan Smith.

The Cogs scored the game-winning run on a single by Ashley Miller and a double by Decker, who was named to the all-tournament team along with Jami Miller.

"We had Genoa down and the girls were playing great" said Rolando, whose team opened the season with a 1-0 win over G-K. "In the second game (against Illiana), we didn't make contact and we weren't executing. We talked between games about doing the little things and we did those things against Genoa."

Erin McGraw was the tough-luck loser against the Cogs but their game-winning hit came off freshman Sarah Field.

"McGraw pitched a great game and Sarah battled but (Genoa) just had a couple timely hits late in the game," Rolando said.

In the win over IMSA, all-tournament selections Kelly Knott (3 hits, 3B) and Lea Diaz (HR, 3B) led the way for St. Edward. Kristi Knott added a double and an RBI and Megan Pozezinski had an RBI. McGraw picked up the win with 3 innings of relief work.

St. Edward had just 2 hits in the loss to Illiana, singles by Kelly Knott and Smith. Field took the loss.

"It was a confidence booster going into (our tournament on Saturday)," St. Edward coach Mike Rolando said. "We're going to need to bring the bats."

Stephanie Werner (4 hits, double, 2 RBIs), Paige Maschinski (2 hits, double), Kristina Brockner (double, 2 RBIs) and Sarah Field (2 hits, RBI) also contributed to the win.

After a tumultuous 2007 season that saw St. Edward's softball program field only a varsity team and go through coaching changes after practices had begun, it would appear the Green Wave are back on track.

St. Edward, which hosts the Daily Herald/Chicagoland Classic at the Elgin Sports Complex Saturday, is off to a 6-4 start to the season after Wednesday's 5-4 Suburban Catholic Conference win over Driscoll. The Wave is not only having success at the varsity level, but is also fielding a JV and freshman team this season. New head coach Mike Rolando and assistants Eloy Diaz, Scot Brockner and Jaci Corn gave generated enthusiasm and interest in the program again, and the success on the field is following suit.

"Obviously they ran into some turmoil last year but this year we got some preparation in before the season started and generated some excitement," said Rolando, also the school's football coach whose daughter freshman Veronica plays for the Wave's JV team.

"These girls play hard. I was lucky to step into a situation with seven seniors and not a lot of first-year coaches get to do that. It's a great group of athletes."

Offensively, the Wave has been led all season by senior shortstop Kelly Knott, who is hitting .367 with 9 stolen bases. Sophomore catcher Kristina Brockner leads the team with 8 RBI and freshman second baseman Lia Diaz is hitting .278.

Freshman Sarah Field and senior Erin McGraw have both been solid in the circle and the team's defense has been outstanding.

"Our defense is one of the best in the conference if not the best," Rolando said. "Our pitchers are good and hopefully the bats will heat up again. We scored some runs in the first few games but we've been struggling a little in the last few."

Saturday's Chicagoland Classic, which was won last year by Burlington Central's JV team, has a full field of eight varsity teams again this year. Downstate Farmington (5-3) returns and will take on Aurora Central Catholic in the first round, while Genoa-Kingston and top pitcher Lindsay Decker will meet Lake Forest Academy. In the bottom of the bracket, St. Edward meets IMSA and Illiana Christian plays Wheaton Academy. Each team gets three games and the action starts at 9 a.m.

Illiana Christian is again one of the top teams in the tournament, The Vikings are led by junior pitcher Jocelyn Oppenhuis, who was 4-2 with a 1.94 ERA and 70 strikeouts to start the week. Senior third baseman Allie Cable was hitting .529 to start the week and sophomore catcher Dana Poortenga was at .455.

"Teams want to play good competition," said Rolando. "I don't know about all the teams but I know Genoa and Illiana are good teams and I think we're a good team.

There is no gate fee to Saturday's tournament.

Falling behind 3-0 in the top of the first inning Wednesday, St. Edward's softball team battled back with three in the bottom half , and added two more runs later to earn a 5-4 Suburban Catholic Conference win over Driscoll.

Kelly Knott led some timely hitting for the Green Wave (6-4, 3-1) collecting 3 hits, a run, 2 stolen bases and an RBI. Megan Tuortellott (1-for-1, run, RBI) and Lea Diaz (hit, 2 sb, 2 runs) also contributed.

"It was really nice to get a win against Driscoll who is one of our big rivalries," said Knott. "After losing to Marian Central, it was big for us to come back out and get a win."

Sarah Field went 4 innings in the circle for the win allowing 5 hits while striking out four. Erin McGraw picked up the save by not allowing an earned run in 3 innings.

ELGIN -- St. Edward overcame a three-run deficit to secure another Suburban Catholic Conference softball victory Wednesday, defeating visiting Driscoll 5-3 at the Elgin Sports Complex.

Leadoff batter Kelly Knott had a big day, going 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, a run scored and an RBI. After falling behind 3-0 in the first inning, the Green Wave (6-4, 3-1) answered with three runs in the bottom of the first and single tallies in the second and fifth frames.

"It was nice to see the girls come back like that," said Wave coach Mike Rolando.

Added Knott, "I thought if I could get a hit in that first inning it would get everyone else going. Hopefully we can keep it going."

Megan Tourtellott (hit, 2 walks, run, RBI) and Lia Diaz (hit, stolen base, 2 runs) also contributed for St. Edward at the plate. Sarah Field earned the win, pitching four innings and fanning four.

ELGIN -- The St. Edward softball team knew too much about Suburban Catholic Conference rival Marian Central on Monday afternoon.

Heading into its game against the Hurricanes, the Green Wave knew that Marian pitcher Heather Gradishar had a great change-up.

That knowledge worked to Gradishar's benefit as she rarely threw the off-speed pitch, helping the Hurricanes to a 5-0 win.

"I think it was just in our girls' head," St. Edward's coach Mike Rolando said. "They were worried about her change-up and I only saw two or three all game. You're sitting up there looking for change-ups and you get fastballs."

Gradishar's ability to locate her fastball hurt the Green Wave. The senior struck out 12 batters and walked only three in a four-hit complete-game win.

The Hurricanes got on the board in the first inning when Gradishar hit an RBI single to right field off of St. Edward starter Erin McGraw to make it 1-0. After pushing its lead to 3-0 in the second thanks to some clutch hitting and some shaky Green Wave defense, Marian Central made it 5-0 in the top of the fifth when Katie Sharp ripped a two-run home run over the right-field fence.

"I thought McGraw pitched well in the first four innings but she didn't get the support defensively," Rolando said. "They had the one home run, but some things happened in the first couple innings and she shouldn't have been in that situation to begin with."

Freshman Sarah Field took over for McGraw in the fifth and kept her team in the game by shutting down the Hurricanes in three innings of work.

"She did a good job," said Rolando of Field, who struck out four batters. "She's been solid for us all year. She's had some hot games, some cool games and some average games. But today was a good game."

St. Edward (6-4, 1-1 SCC) had its chances offensively but left five runners on base, including two in the fourth inning.

With runners on first and third and one out in the bottom of the fourth, Marian Central's second baseman caught a shallow pop-up in right field and doubled off the runner at first, negating the run that had scored when the runner on third tagged up and went home.

"It was just a situation when our heads weren't in the game," Rolando said. "They threw it all the way home and we still didn't get back.

"It was displayed in that play as well as some others defensively, but I think it was just indicative of our play all day and that's not going to get it done against a team like this."

The "preseason" hasn't been as fruitful as in the past few years in terms of games played, but it's over now and Burlington Central's softball team is ready to move on to the main course.

Junior Mackenzie Scott and senior Erica Maisto combined for 13 strikeouts and allowed just 2 hits Monday as the Rockets knocked off St. Edward 5-0 in a nonconference game at the Elgin Sports Complex.

Now, at 7-0 and ranked No. 2 in the latest ICA Class 3A state poll, Central gets to kick off the Big Northern East season today at Marengo, which was the preseason No. 1-ranked team in 3A but is 6-2 and now ranked No. 20.

"I'm so excited. (Marengo) is our big rival and we want to go in there and show them we can take them," said Maisto, who earned the win Monday, her fourth of the season and the 64th of her career, by pitching 1-hit ball over the final four innings.

The Rockets' win over St. Edward (4-3) didn't come easy. Green Wave senior Erin McGraw kept BC's hitters off stride for the better part of the game and the Wave played good defense. McGraw struck out three, walked two and allowed 7 hits.

"McGraw pitched a great game, we put the ball in play and we played good defense," said St. Edward coach Mike Rolando, who played football at Valparaiso Universwity when BC softball coach Scot Sutherland was on the Valpo football coaching staff.

"I'm proud of the girls' effort today. Burlington is one of the best teams in the state at a class higher than us. We want to play the best because that's what we'll see at the end of the year."

The Rockets broke open a scoreless tie in the third inning when they got to McGraw for 3 runs. After McGraw struck out Abby Morrow to open the inning, Scott coaxed a walk and Kayla Oranger followed with a line-shot single up the middle that went off the top of McGraw's glove. The bases then became loaded when Ashley Scheffler's grounder to first became a fielder's choice as St. Edward chose to try to get courtesy runner Jordan Maisto at third and the throw was late.

Sophomore catcher Sam Gruner then delivered a 2-run single that was followed by an RBI double from senior Brooke Porto to put BC on top 3-0.

"Sam's been doing what she did last year," said Sutherland. "She's coming up with big hits with runners on base."

The Rockets added 2 runs in the sixth inning. Lyndsay Lange led off with a double and came home when Erica Maisto cranked a double to left-center. Jordan Maisto, running for her sister, then stole third and scored on Brittany Priest's single up the middle.

"It's hard to adjust to the different pitching speeds sometimes," Erica Maisto said. "But we did after a couple innings and we got some shots going."

St. Edward's best chance to score came in the second inning. Megan Pozezinski drew a two-out walk from Scott, who started the game and went the first three innings for BC, just before McGraw singled to left. They each moved up on a wild pitch but Scott got Megan Smith on a called third strike to end the threat.

Smith got St. Edward's other hit, a single to left in the fifth off Maisto.

Scott struck out six and walked three in her three innings while Maisto had 7 strikeouts and 1 walk in her four innings, as the Rockets prepared for their conference opener, which they lost to Richmond-Burton last season before going on to finish 9-1 in the league for a championship.

"We won't have to say much," Sutherland said. "It's Marengo and (his team) will be ready, just like we know the girls from Marengo will be ready."

ELGIN -- For St. Edward, the whole idea behind scheduling a non-conference game with Burlington Central was to see good pitching.

In fact, first-year Green Wave coach Mike Rolando personally asked Rockets skipper Scot Sutherland to unleash flame-throwing junior Mackenzie Scott on his team.

Rolando got his wish.

"(Sutherland) coached me in football back in college at Valparaiso and we caught up a little bit," Rolando said. "He wasn't going to pitch her so I told him he had to pitch her kind of jokingly.

"Our girls read the paper, they know who is good. They wondered if (Scott) was going to pitch against us. She was tough, but I'm glad we were able to see her."

Scott, who began the season with back-to-back no hitters before tossing a three-hit shutout last week against talented Barrington, had to get out of a potential jam in the second inning as the Green Wave (4-3) threatened to score the game's first run.

After fanning the first two batters of the inning, Scott allowed consecutive runners to reach base following a walk to Megan Pozezinski and hard-hit single by Erin McGraw. A wild pitch then moved the runners to second and third, but Scott got Megan Smith swinging on a full-count pitch to escape.

"(Mackenzie) struggled a little today. She didn't have her best stuff and she threw way too many pitches," said Sutherland, whose team beat St. Edward 10-0 last year. "At the same time, we want to see her work through some of that stuff and she was able to do that."

Central made St. Edward's missed opportunity sting even more after scoring three runs in the next half-inning. Ironically, it was Scott who got the scoring started with a one-out walk off McGraw. That was followed by four straight base hits, including a bases-loaded, two-run single by Samantha Gruner on a 2-2 changeup and a run-scoring double by Brooke Porto.

"There was no score and the bases were loaded. I knew I had to (make) some kind of contact," said Gruner, who has two RBIs in four of the team's first six games. "I want to keep driving in runs. That's my favorite part of hitting and hopefully I can keep it going."

Central senior Erica Maisto pitched the final four innings, allowing one hit and striking out seven. The Rockets added two more runs off McGraw in the sixth inning after back-to-back doubles by Lindsay Lange and Maisto (RBI) and an RBI single by Brittany Priest.

"We are at our best when we are being patient at the plate and we were able to see that good things usually happen when we can do that," Sutherland said.

McGraw surrendered eight hits in the complete-game effort with three strikeouts and two walks.

"I'm very happy and very proud of our effort," Rolando said. "That is one of the best teams in the state and we played them until the end.

"We are a good team and we can hang with anybody when we play well. (Central) is the caliber of team we want to see because that's what we are going to be seeing at the end of the year."

Central now turns it full attention to today's matchup with Marengo. The Indians (6-2) are ranked 20th in Class 3A and are a threat to dethrone Central in it attempt to win its fourth straight Big Northern Conference East Division title. Last season, Central dropped its conference opener to Richmond-Burton, but later defeated Marengo 5-0 behind a Maisto four-hitter that included 12 strikeouts.

"I told the girls to remember what happened last year and to do what we need to do to make sure that doesn't happen again," Sutherland said. "They will be ready to play (against Marengo). I don't really have to say much for that game."

Maisto agreed: "(Marengo) is like our rivals. It's always a good game when we play them. We want to show our conference what we can do and hopefully we can get a good jump-start on that."

ADDISON -- St. Edward picked up a victory in its Suburban Catholic Conference opener on Friday beating Driscoll 9-3.

The game was originally scheduled to be played at the Elgin Sports Complex, but it was moved to Driscoll's field because of a college tournament taking place at the complex.

Freshman Sarah Field earned the win with a complete-game effort. Kelly Knott led the Green Wave (4-0) with three hits, two runs scored and an RBI. Erin McGraw and Megan Smith added two hits apiece.

Senior first baseman Celeste Von Ahnen added a hit, three runs scored and two key defensive plays, according to St. Edward coach Mike Rolando.

"We had another great game offensively," said Rolando, whose team scored nine runs for the third consecutive game. "We were able to jump on them early and keep the momentum going."

St. Edward will play host South Elgin today in a non-conference doubleheader.

HAMPSHIRE -- The season might still be young, but the St. Edward softball team has a right to be excited about its fast start after beating Hampshire 9-1 on Thursday in a rain-shortened non-conference game.

After winning a grand total of only six games a season ago, St. Edward is now 3-0 and full of confidence as it prepares to play five games in the next four days.

Thursday's affair was called after five innings.

» Click to enlarge image

Celeste Von Ahnen

Once again, the Green Wave combined solid pitching by freshman Sarah Field with flawless defense and timely hitting to post the victory, this time over the Whip-Purs (1-2).

Field, now the winning pitcher in all three of her team's decisions this season, wiggled in and out of potential danger against Hampshire in each of the last four innings, leaving eight runners stranded on base. In all, Field struck out four while allowing four hits and six walks.

"Sarah is very poised for a freshman. Nothing rattles her," first-year St. Edward coach Mike Rolando said. "She listens and she sticks to the game plan. It's a joy to have her."

Added Field: "It's not a big deal if I let someone get on base. If they hit it I know my defense will field it behind me. I'm just trying to throw my pitches and stick with the plan."

Von Ahnen's one-out single off Hampshire starter Katie McBride opened the floodgates for the Green Wave in the second inning. Von Ahnen's hit was followed by an error that led to another run, a run-scoring single by Paige Maschinski, and a two-run triple by senior Kelly Knott. Sophomore Kristi Knott also added an RBI groundout in the inning.

"I think this team can hit up and down the lineup. You can't really pitch around anybody," said Rolando, also the football coach at the school. "(Von Ahnen) came up big for us. Her hit really seemed to get things going for us."

Hampshire responded with a run in the bottom of the second inning, following a deep RBI double to center field by McBride, but left runners at second and third after Field was able to induce consecutive groundouts.

From there, Hampshire's inability to convert scoring chances would become a common theme.

"We did have some nice hits, but just not enough in an inning to get more runs across," Hampshire coach Ken Bram said. "We didn't make too many mistakes today, but St. Edward just flat-out out-hit us. They had that big second inning that we couldn't recover from."

St. Edward tacked on another run in the top of the third on an inside-the-park home run by freshman Lea Diaz, whose hard hit scooted between two outfielders and just kept rolling on the fence-less field. The Green Wave then plated two more runs in the fifth, including an RBI groundout by sophomore Kristina Brockner that scored senior Megan Pozezinski, who had tripled with one out.

"These girls have very high expectations and so do (the coaches)," Rolando said. "We want to be the best we can at the end of the year and that's what we are working for."

Von Ahnen, who did not play softball last season and had only one at-bat through the team's first two games, finished 2-for-3 with a stolen base.

"I didn't play last year because it was a long basketball season and I needed some time off," said the 6-foot-3 first baseman. "I really missed softball last year and that's the main reason I came back.

"(Rolando) is giving us all a chance to prove ourselves and today was my turn to start. I just wanted to contribute."

ELGIN -- St. Edward's softball team tallied eight runs in the first two innings against Lisle and coasted to a 9-1 non-conference win on Wednesday.

"I'm really proud of their effort," St. Edward coach Mike Rolando said. "The top of our lineup was really stinging the ball and the bottom of the order did a good job of making contact and moving runners over."

» Click to enlarge image

Kelly Knott

The last time St. Edward (2-0) took the field was two weeks ago, when it was no-hit in its first game, a 1-0 win over Genoa-Kingston.

"They were all pretty disappointed in their performance against Genoa-Kingston," Rolando said. "Nobody likes to get no-hit. So they wanted to come right out and show that they could hit the ball."

Kelly Knott opened the game for St. Edward with a leadoff double over the center fielder's head and after advancing to third on a wild pitch, was knocked in by a Kristi Knott liner off of the first baseman's glove.

"When I went up to bat I was just thinking about putting the bat on the ball," said Kelly Knott, who went 2-for-4 on the day with a double and a triple. "Last night, I was looking at our Web site and all the averages were zero, zero, zero. I was like 'I need to get myself on the board.' I needed a hit today and I think everyone was just feeling it."

The bottom of the first continued with Lisle's defense helping out the Wave. Lisle made three infield throwing errors and had allowed four unearned runs by the end of the frame.

St. Edward resumed its offensive output in the second. A Kristina Brockner triple knocked in Kristi Knott and Megan Pozezinski to push the lead to seven. Brockner then scored on a sacrifice bunt by Lea Diaz to put St. Edward up 8-0.

Lisle's biggest scoring threat came in the top of the third when it loaded the bases with one out against St. Edward starter Sarah Field. Field was able to get the Green Wave out of the inning, however, while only giving up one run.

In the third, Kristi Knott notched her third hit and second RBI of the game, knocking in Kelly Knott for the second time to put the Green Wave up 9-1.

"(We) have very high expectations," Rolando said. "Maybe nobody knows us yet, but we're working hard and trying to get better every day."

Field pitched three innings, allowing one run on four hits and striking out two. Erin McGraw came on in relief, pitching four scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out three.

For not having seen live pitching in more than a week, hitting in the cages paid off.

St. Edward came out swinging, capitalizing on 3 first-inning errors en route to a 5-run first and a 9-1 win over Lisle in a nonconference game at the Elgin Sports Complex.

With St. Edward (2-0) up 1-0 in the first on an infield single by Kelly Knott, Megan Pozezinski reached base on a throwing error.

After Jackie Todd's walk loaded the bases, Stephanie Werner came to the plate and skidded a grounder to second. Though the ball was fielded cleanly, the throw to first was wide, allowing two Green Wave runners to score.

Another throwing error on Megan Tourtellott's grounder to third allowed 2 additional runs to score. St. Edward was up 5-0, Lisle (0-2) digging itself a first-inning hole the Lions couldn't climb out of.

"When you open the first inning with 4 errors, it's kind of hard for any pitcher to come back," said Lions coach Jen Pomatto.

"A little bit of that is because how young we are. We're going to make those kind of mistakes. When the floodgates open, it's kind of hard to come back."

St. Edward tacked on 3 more runs in the second. Kristina Brockner capped off the inning with a 2-run triple that sailed over right fielder Jessica Clark and headed toward the fence.

"The girls were sick and tired of being inside, we wanted to get out there and show what we could do as team. We've been really working hard," said Pozezinski, who went 1-for-3 and reached based on an error.

Up 7 runs, Green Wave pitcher Sarah Field had all the cushion she needed. She pitched 3 innings, giving up 1 run on 4 hits, walking two batters and striking out two to earn the win. Erin McGraw came in for relief and pitched 4 scoreless innings.

"We've got a couple great pitchers. Sarah pitched again great. For a freshman to do what she did, I thought she had a great game. She didn't have her best stuff, but she had great control and poise on the mound," said St. Edward coach Mike Rolando.

Colleen Drennan accounted for 3 of Lisle's 5 hits, going 3-for-3 with a double and a triple in the loss.

Mike Rolando's first season as St. Edward's softball coach has been stopped cold -- for the most part.

The ongoing winter weather has paralyzed most spring sports which are held outdoors and that includes Rolando's Green Wave squad.

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St. Edward freshman pitcher Sarah Field practices indoors under the watch of assistant coach Eloy Diaz. Continuing winter weather has played havoc with high school sports so far this season.
(Michael Smart/Staff Photographer)

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St. Edward did play one game before holding more indoor practices this week. The Wave mustered a solid 1-0 victory at Genoa-Kingston on March 19, playing error-free defense. Despite making its debut on any kind of playing field that day, St. Edward shined.

"I would say this weather has been terrible," said Rolando, also the school's football coach, "but we played great that day. I was really happy -- especially since it was our first time not on concrete or in a gym."

Making the best of a Chicago winter is what Rolando has tried to do. Just like other coaches in the area.

Elgin High's baseball team has yet to play a game. The Maroons have taken their turn with the softball team, boys volleyball team and the badminton team practicing at Chesbrough Field House.

Elgin coach Dave Foerster says that's not all bad.

"With as much space as we have available, we can get some things done in practice," said Foerster. "But this has to be the latest in the season that we've never been on the field."

The Maroons have yet to take infield on the dirt, instead practicing on pavement or the tartan floor in the field house.

"You have to keep the kids interested," said Foerster. "That's the biggest thing. It is tough, but everyone else is having to do the same thing.

"You just do the best you can. We're actually more fortunate than most schools because of all the room we have."

Unfortunately, there are some baseball and softball drills that simply can't be practiced in a gym, forcing coaches and players to venture outside and brave the elements -- even on the coldest days.

"I guess you could say we've knuckled it up a couple times and gotten outside to take fly balls in the cold," D-C senior baseball player Ryan Horcher said. "But it has been tough to get outside on a regular basis."

While the foul weather has been an annoyance for coaches and players, it has provided nothing but headaches for area athletic directors.

Bruce Blumer said he's never seen the beginning of a spring season as affected by weather as this one in his seven years as Huntley's AD.

With only so many open dates available throughout the season and more postponements to be expected as the spring wears on, Blumer said that scheduling makeup games is increasingly difficult.

"Right now we haven't really rescheduled anything just because of the volume of games that have been cancelled," Blumer said. "We'll get back after spring break and see what we can do in terms of picking up a game here or a there.

"But, for example, next week some of our teams already are scheduled to play every day but Wednesday, so it's kind of hard to throw a game in there and say 'Play five games during the week and a doubleheader on Saturday.' It's almost unrealistic."

While baseball and softball teams have particularly suffered through the cold spell, sports like track and soccer that traditionally compete in any weather have also been affected.

On especially cold days, track practices have been forced to be held in school hallways. Meanwhile, soccer teams that play on grass fields have been hesitant to hold games for fear that the rain mixed with melting snow will create brutal conditions that could ruin a playing surface with several dates still remaining in the season.

All of those realities have left the majority of area athletes to wait anxiously for a break from Mother Nature.

"We are all just excited to play a game," Elgin senior soccer player Lizzy Niles said. "We've been ready for a while."