As junior catcher Alexis Busse and her Riverside Brookfield High School softball teammates tried to end a five-year wait for a true conference championship, a couple of extra days were no problem. The key victory for the Bulldogs’ Upstate Eight Conference East Division championship turned out to be their 1-0 victory at second-place Glenbard East.
The game was completed, May 6, after being halted by rain two days earlier tied 0-0 after three innings.
“Really exciting. I think (conference) was a huge goal because we haven’t won conference in so long, but next is (Class 4A) regionals,” Busse said. “It was definitely more pressure because we only had three innings to do it, but we were able to hold them and get the run by the end.”
It’s among many wins for the 24-4 Bulldogs, who are the No. 2 seed in the 4A Marist Sectional behind the nationally-ranked host RedHawks (31-1).
RBHS and No. 8 seed Lyons Township (15-12, 5-5 in West Suburban Conference Silver Division) are in the Lyons Township Regional at the new and recently dedicated Stacy Ann Baker Field.
The Bulldogs won conference with an 11-1 record, two games ahead of Glenbard East (19-4, 11-3). Had the Rams won the May 6 restart, all things remaining the same, the teams would have shared the title.
“(That victory) was really fun and a really good experience,” sophomore leadoff hitter and left fielder Brailyn Naylor said. “We had confidence in each other. It was definitely difficult because that added onto how many games we had, but we still came back and had a good win.”
The Bulldogs won their former Metro Suburban Conference in 2021 and also in its 2024 finale, but by then the MSC was reduced to four teams.
Other big wins this season include 7-2 over West Chicago April 28 to avenge their only conference loss (7-4 April 7) and outlasting Fenwick 10-9 in nine innings March 27 after tying the game in the bottom of the seventh.
RBHS beat LTHS in last year’s regional final. They’ll meet again for the regional title at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 23, if RBHS defeats No. 15 Kenwood and LTHS defeats No. 10 Reavis in the Wednesday, May 20, regional semifinals.
“They’ve been playing really well,” RBHS coach Emma Jarrell said of her players. “We’ve had a ton of games the last two weeks and they’ve brought a lot of energy every day. We’re super-excited for the playoffs.”
At Glenbard East, sophomore Kate Hamilton delivered a run-scoring single in the sixth after singles by Busse and Trinity Stevenson to begin the inning. Sophomore winning pitcher Amelia Pytel retired the last nine hitters in order.
Hamilton, one of the few varsity newcomers, played varsity basketball for the first time this past winter.
“I just went up there with confidence I could get a hit and just pull through for my team but everyone contributed the same as me,” Hamilton said. “I love the girls I played basically with (on varsity basketball) and play softball. It’s helped me build better connections and get used to the intensity of varsity.”
Top contributors include Mia Melendez (.452 average, 13 home runs, 38 runs batted in), Stevenson (.466, 5 HRs, 29 RBIs), Naylor (.407, 10 RBIs), Ella Ryzewski (.369, 16 RBIs), Hamilton (.366, 15 RBIs) and Busse (.356, 13 RBIs).
Pytel (11-3) has 141 strikeouts in 99.2 innings. This is her second varsity season with Busse as the starting catcher.
“If we’re doing good or have a good attitude, it’s definitely a better game for the whole team. I think we’ve created a bond over the past year to play for each other,” Busse said.
The Lions won their last three Silver games to finish third at 5-5 behind co-champions York and Oak Park and River Forest.
LTHS outlasted York 12-11, May 6, and defeated Glenbard West 11-3, May 11, and Downers Grove North 9-4, May 13.
Top hitters include Ava Jacklin (.346, 6 HRs, 22 RBIs, 11 stolen bases), Maddy Pieroni (.317, 2 HRs, 13 RBIs), Mary Sandman (.333, HR, 12 RBIs), Bella Luciano (.405, 3 HRs, 8 RBIs), Danica Bezanis (.270, 10 RBIs), Julia Ahrens (.341, 9 RBIs).
Freshman pitcher Sofia Kettaneh has 36 strikeouts in 58.2 innings. Senior Lucy Lee has 39 strikeouts in 57 innings.