ROUNDUP
Riverside-Brookfield remained perfect (5-0) under the Bulldogs’ first-year softball head coach John Vermillion sweeping a doubleheader from Lyons Township on Saturday.

“I’ve been very pleased with our pitching and defense,” Vermillion said. “The key stat is that our pitchers [Kylie O’Connell, Rachel Denneny] have only walked one batter in 33 innings so you can’t do much better than that. Offensively, we’re getting key hits when we need them.”

Trailing the Lions 2-0 in the sixth inning of the opener, RB rallied with a four-run frame courtesy of four consecutive hits and a pair of LT errors. Kylie O’Connell smashed a key double, scoring two runs in the inning. She also was the Bulldogs’ winning pitcher with a complete game four-hitter. O’Connell (4-0), who held the Lions scoreless after the first inning, also struck out two and walked no one.

In the second game, the Bulldogs scored three runs in the opening frame. They upped the lead 7-0 lead after four innings. Sophomore shortstop Kelly Ely (4-for-4, 2 RBIs), sophomore first baseman Ashlee Haugh (3-for-3, 2 runs), were the RB hitting stars fueling a 17-hit offensive showing. Leadoff hitter Kiley Rusen (2-for-5, 2 runs) also played well for RB during the twinbill.

RB baseball

After a tough 5-3 loss to highly regarded Nazareth, the Bulldogs (3-3-1) responded well with a pair of wins over Morton and St. Patrick last week.

Winning pitcher JT Evans tossed a complete game, allowing only two hits while striking out seven in the Bulldogs’ 6-0 victory against area rival Morton. Known for his defensive prowess, third baseman Charlie Morrissey continued to swing a hot bat with two hits against the Mustangs. Sophomore CJ Duffek, who is hitting over .400 this season, also paced the RB offense.

RB also defeated St. Patrick 10-7 in a wild nonconference game. The Bulldogs pounded out 14 hits and took a 10-1 lead before the Shamrocks roared back with six unanswered runs. Chris James pitched three innings of one-run ball to earn the win, while Matt Riedl worked 2 2/3 innings of solid relief and Ryan Brown notched his first varsity save for RB.

Riverside-Brookfield opens Metro Suburban Conference play this week against Glenbard South.

LT baseball

The Lions (4-1) swept a doubleheader over Glenbard West on Saturday. Spencer Mahoney went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs to spark LT to an easy 17-3 win in the opener. Game two winning pitcher Steve Heilenbach helped his own cause with two home runs and five RBI in a 13-0 victory against the Hilltoppers. First baseman Brian Rodemoyer added a homer, three RBIs and two walks on the day.

LT Boys volleyball

Six-foot-5 junior Mark Hogan (11 kills) and 6-4 Jack O’Malley (8 kills) led Lions to a 25-19, 23-25, 25-21 win over Morton in a nonconference game on Friday. Jason Dolinski and Adam Haas added six kills each, while setter Jack Gouty had 32 assists for LT (4-1). The match marked the Lions’ first action since taking third place in the Conant Tournament (March 25).

Everardo Valencia (9 kills) and Marco Luna (28 assists) paced Morton, which previously beat RB in three sets.

“Action” Jackson Receives Honor

Riverside-Brookfield senior guard Ryan Jackson was recently selected as an Honorable Mention All-State player in Class 3A by a statewide panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

The Lewis University recruit averaged 25.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists in leading the Bulldogs (23-6) to conference and regional championships.

Fenwick soccer

The Friars pushed their early-season record to 5-2-1 with a 4-2 victory over York and a respectable showing at the St. Francis Classic last week.

Mia Patrevito scored three goals and Mary Kate Hussey added one against Duke for the Friars, who went 2-1-1 in the St. Francis Classic.

Fenwick secured wins over Maine West, 1-0, and Cary Grove, 2-1. Goalkeeper Sydney Galvez-Daley recorded a shutout in the Friars’ 0-0 tie against Glenbard West.

Fenwick softball

The Friars got off to a topsy-turvy start to the season, going 1-3. Fenwick lost 10-1 to Riverside-Brookfield but scored an 8-3 win over Northside Prep.

Kerry Lange took the loss against RB, yielding eight earned runs off seven hits in 1 2/3 innings. She earned the victory against Northside, racking up seven strikeouts in six innings.

Natalie Marotta went 3-for-4 for the Friars, driving in two runs. Ashley Parenti also drove in two.

The Friars fell to Marian Catholic 3-0 and 10-0 in doubleheader action on Saturday.