Murphy's goals power Lions into 3A state semifinals
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Fenwick senior midfielder Anissa Nourse led the Friars to a regional and sectional titles in the state playoffs. (Courtesy Fenwick High School)
Fenwick senior midfielder Anissa Nourse led the Friars to a regional and sectional titles in the state playoffs. (Courtesy Fenwick High School)
LTHS senior pitcher Grant Leader capped off a stellar preps career with the Lions this spring. The hard-throwing right-hander will pitch collegiately at Illinois. (File photo)
Nazareth tennis player Michael Rooney won five of six matches to place third at the Class 1A state finals. (Courtesy Nazareth Academy)
RBHS junior catcher Michael Schicker led the Bulldogs to a regional final in the Class 4A playoffs and a very good regular season. (File photo)
Senior catcher Andrew McKenna has played a major role in the Roadrunners’ success this season with his leadership, Lively bat and steady defense. (File photo)
The RBHS softball team celebrates winning a Class 3A regional championship. The high-powered Bulldogs have had a banner season, excelling in all aspects of the game. (Photo by Toan Ngo)
Lyons Township senior midfielder Eileen Murphy is an All-State player and has committed to play college soccer at Illinois. (Photo by John Mattern)
SCOREBOARD
Thursday, May 30: Scores & Highlights
SOFTBALL
Marist Sectional
RBHS 10, Shepard 4
Shepard scored first when Lily Mucha belted a solo home run in the second inning. The Bulldogs responded by scoring three runs in the bottom of the third inning. RBHS then scored two runs in the fourth inning and five more in the sixth to build a commanding 10-1 lead.
Senior catcher Emily Noel capped off a wonderful defensive game (she threw out 2 base runners) with a three-run home run in the sixth inning. Nadia Ranieri pitched a gem, giving up only four hits and one earned run while striking out 12.
The Bulldogs take on the No. 1 sectional seed Marist on Friday, May 31 at Lewis University. The game starts at 4:30 p.m.
BASEBALL
St. Rita Sectional
Nazareth 5, Brother Rice 4
Nazareth (29-8): Teddy Olander walked in the bottom of the 8th to force home Breven Reifsteck for the 5-4 win over Brother Rice to advance the Roadrunners to the sectional final against St. Rita at 11:00 on Saturday at Ozinga Field in Crestwood. Tremendous base running by Breven Reifsteck and Braden Schneider, a huge at bat by Eric Kramer that scored two runs, and geat releif pitching by Wylder Guido and Jack Krug contributed to the Roadrunners’ victory.
Wednesday, May 29: Scores & Highlights
SOFTBALL
Benet Sectional
Trinity fell behind early in their Class 3A Benet Sectional semifinal against Wheaton St. Francis, and a late-inning rally attempt got doused in a 3-0 loss to the Spartans.
Carlee Jo Clark went the distance for St. Francis in notching the shutout, allowing six hits and two walks while striking out ten.
Trinity freshman ace Danielle Hoffman had a very creditable performance despite the loss, giving up three runs on just four hits. She walked two and struck out three.
St. Francis jumped ahead in the bottom of the first. Kristina Sherwin walked and moved to second on Bridget Rath’s single. Clark followed with another single, but Trinity centerfielder Parker Phillips nailed Sherwin at the plate with a perfect strike to catcher Nikki Romano. However, on the play, Rath moved to third and Clark to second. This proved to be vital as the next batter – Caroline Caesar – singled in Rath to give the Spartans an early 1-0 lead. Even so, the Trinity defense sparkled on the play as left fielder Ali Weber threw out Clark trying to score a second run.
In the second inning, St. Francis increased its lead to 3-0. With one out, Kelly Griffin was hit by a pitch and subsequently advanced to third due to a pair of wild pitches by Hoffman. After Riley Banigan drew a walk, a popup by Kellyn Langton was dropped by Blazers’ second baseman Heather Shortall, allowing Griffin to score. Then Sherwin’s RBI single brought in Banigan and ultimately would end the day’s scoring.
Trinity, however, never gave up and kept battling until the end. In fact, the Blazers managed to get the tying run to the plate in the top of the seventh. Rachel McGovern led off with a single. But Meagan Murphy and Hoffman followed up with back-to-back strikeouts, and the Blazers were down to their last out. Alexa Padula then coaxed a walk to bring up the tying run in Michela DelSanto, pinch-hitting for Weber. However, she would ground out to Rath to end the game and season.
Hoffman and Romano each went 2-for-3 at the plate for Trinity (17-15), which advanced to the sectional round for the first time in three seasons. The Blazers will say farewell to senior standouts in DelSanto, McGovern, and Emely Martinez.
However, there is plenty of cause for optimism in 2020 as Trinity will return several key players, including Hoffman, Romano, Murphy, Shortall, Phillips, Padula, Weber, and Bella Parravicini. In addition, the Blazers will regain the services of star pitcher Julie Hoffman, who was injured and missed the majority of the season.
Tuesday, May 28: Scores & Highlights
GIRLS SOCCER
Andrew Supersectional
Lyons Township 2, Andrew 1, OT
Lyons Township: Eileen Murphy 2 goals, including game-winner with 4:48 left in overtime.
Hinnsdale South Supersectional
Benet 4, Fenwick 0
After a scoreless first half, Benet Academy exploded for four goals during a 14-minute span of the second half as the Friars’ terrific postseason run came to an end with a 4-0 shutout loss at the Class 2A Hinsdale South Supersectional in Darien.
Abby Casmere’s goal three minutes into the second half sparked the Redwings’ flurry. Four minutes later, Mia Tommasone found the back of the net, then Casmere added her second goal four more minutes later. Sarah Bozych capped the Benet outburst with a goal six minutes after Casmere.
Eva Franzen and Ava Rogers combined to get the clean sheet for the Redwings (21-3-1), who advance to the Class 2A state semifinals on Friday, May 31 to face Troy (Triad) at 1 p.m. Joliet Catholic and Wauconda will meet in the other 2A semifinal at 11 a.m.; all the 2A and 3A games will take place at North Central College in Naperville.
For Fenwick (14-7-1), the loss spells the end of the careers of seven seniors, including stalwarts in DePauw-bound Anissa Nourse, Margaux Shearer, Regan Hultquist, Erin Frumkin and MK Kapsch.
However, there will be a large number of key players returning in 2020, including forwards Juliana Giuffre, Taylor Hultquist, Grace McGann and Lily Reardon; midfielders Anna Dray, Kate Henige, Emi Kapusta and Margaret McFadden; and defenders Shelia Hogan, Molly McCann, Emily Ortiz, Alyssa Ruiz and Courtney Youngerman. Also, both goalkeepers – junior Mary Heneghan and freshman Audrey Hinrichs – will be back.
With such a vast quantity of talented players returning – along with expected reinforcements from the lower levels – look for the Friars to contend again in 2020.
BOYS LACROSSE
New Trier Supersectional
New Trier 12, Lyons Township 4
Saturday, May 25
BASEBALL
Regional Finals
Nazareth
Nazareth 10, St. Ignatius 0
Nazareth: WP Michael Prosecky 3 IP, 1 H, 5 K; Andrew McKenna 3-for-3, 3 RBIs; Nate Smith 2-for-3, 3 RBIs.
Roadrunners scored seven runs in the second inning en route to winning their first-ever Class 4A regional and 10th overall in last 11 years.
Morton
St. Rita 10, Riverside-Brookfield 0
Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel 8, Lyons Township 6
BOYS TENNIS
Class 2A/1A State Finals
Lyons Township’s Dominic Cuchran and Nazareth’s Michael Rooney each finished third at the 2A and 1A state finals, respectively.
After winning four matches without dropping a set, Cuchran lost to Hinsdale Central’s Daniel Schmela 6-4, 6-1 in the semifinals. Cuchran responded well, however, beating Highland Park’s Jeremy Learner 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) in a third set tiebreaker for third place. Teammates Ryan Cahill (singles) and the doubles teams of Charlie Johanns/Patrick Johnson and Owen O’Connor/Luke Schlender also represented the Lions, who finished fourth in the team standings with 20 points (13 singles, 7 doubles).
In 1A action, Rooney won five of six matches en route to his third-place result. The Roadrunners’ Johnny Hamilton and Chris Wilson went 1-2 in doubles at state. Nazareth placed sixth (14) in the team standings.
SOFTBALL
Regional Finals
Hinsdale Central
Riverside-Brookfield 5, Oak Lawn 0
Morton
Marist 6, Lyons Township 0
Nazareth
Nazareth 15, Solorio 0
FRIDAY, MAY 24
GIRLS SOCCER
Wheaton Academy
Fenwick 3, Wheaton Academy 2, (Fenwick wins on 5-4 penalty kicks)
In a penalty kick shootout, Nourse, Grace McGann, Margaux Shearer, Anna Dray and Hensley Akers scored for Fenwick, while goalkeeper Audrey Hinrichs came up with two huge saves.
The Blazers (17-15), who finished with 12 hits, scored four runs in the seventh to put the game out of reach for the host Wolfpack.
BOYS LACROSSE
Sectional Final
St. Rita
Lyons Township 12, St. Rita 11, OT
BOYS TRACK & FIELD
Class 2A State Meet
Fenwick
Senior Joseph Wermes recorded a time of 4:52.50 in the 1,600-meter run in the preliminaries of the Class 2A state meet. The Friars’ other state qualifier, the 3,200 relay team of Joseph Schultz, Jared Wermes, Owen Filbin and Chris Brady posted a time of 8:37.91.
