If you want to know what kind of year it has been for Thornwood, look no further than the Thunderbirds’ up-and-down sweep of No. 4 Andrew Saturday in South Holland.
Thornwood rallied, scoring five runs in the sixth, to take the opener 5-4, but then squandered a four-run lead and had to play nine innings to win the nightcap 5-4.
“We’ve really been inconsistent the whole year,” said Thornwood coach Gary Lagesse. “We, very realistically, could have lost those two games.”
Trailing 4-1 in Game 1, Katie Biesboer started the sixth-inning rally with an RBI single. Samantha Hart followed with a two-run triple to tie the score at 4-4. An Andew error sent home the winning run.
In Game 2, the Thunderbirds (6-3) stormed out to a 4-0 lead, but a defensive breakdown with two outs in the seventh allowed Andrew (9-4) to tie it at 4-4.
Kahlisha Hawkins drew a walk to lead off the ninth, and stole second. Junior Tahira Saafir then singled her home with the game-winner.
“Hopefully this game will be the turning point for us,” said Lagesse. “I had doubts our kids would come back in the first game.”
Stagg 9-11, Hillcrest 2-0: Rachel Gensch had a triple and three RBIs for the top-ranked Chargers (12-0) in Game 1, while Melissa Cozzi (6-0) earned the victory in five innings of shutout relief. In Game 2, Alison Booth had two hits and scored twice, and Laurie Markatos (4-0) threw a one-hitter.
Glenbard West 8-4, Wheaton-Warrenville South 5-3: After earning the opening game victory in relief, Adrienne Salerno (6-0) went all eight innings in Game 2 to lead No. 2 Glenbard West (8-0) to the non-conference sweep. The Hilltoppers tied Game 2 at 1-1 in the fifth on a pinch-hit RBI single by Vicki Lavery, and then took the lead in the top of the eighth on three Wheaton-Warrenville South errors.
Morris 12-10, Batavia 0-0: Stefanie Steele (5-0) struck out 10 in the opener en route to a five-inning no-hitter, and Kim Mackinson (5-1) fanned 11, allowing just two hits over six innings, in Game 2 as No. 8 Morris (10-1, 6-0) rolled in the Suburban Prairie Red.
Addison Trail 10-9, Montini 8-3: Caren Cieslowski went 5 for 7 on the day, with a triple, a homer and four RBIs to lead the Blazers (4-5) to the non-conference sweep.
Antioch 10-16, Round Lake 3-5: Angie Pederson had two triples and drove in four runs as the Sequoits (7-6) scored seven runs in the third inning of Game 2 and rolled to their seventh straight victory.
Barrington 23-10, Carmel 0-1: Barrington (12-2) cruised as Natalie Sokolowski hit a grand slam in the opener, and Christine Pederson, who set a school record with her 57th career victory, threw a six-inning no-hitter in Game 2.
Buffalo Grove 11-15, St. Viator 0-0: Morgan Kuebler (5-2) threw a five-inning perfect game for Buffalo Grove (7-2) in the opener.
Chicago Christian 9-8. Walther Lutheran 4-4: Julie Drenth went 3 for 3 with two homers, and Taylor Brandau went 4 for 4 with a homer and two RBIs in the opener as Chicago Christian (2-5, 2-3) rolled in the Private School League.
Crete-Monee 15-15, Thornton 4-0: Michelle Weber (10 RBIs) hit a grand slam in the opener and a three-run shot in Game 2 to lead Crete-Monee (11-1) to a school-record 11th straight victory.
Crystal Lake South 1-2, Lake Zurich 0-0: The Gators (6-3, 3-1) swept the Fox Valley double-header as Chrissy Hansen allowed two hits in Game 2.
Fremd 9-10, Maine South 0-0: Courtney Walker (7-2) earned the victory in both games, giving up only three hits on the day, to lead Fremd. Angie Thielsen had a double, a triple and two RBIs for the Vikings in the five-inning nightcap.
Glenbrook South 10-8, Highland Park 0-2: Lyndsey Levin threw a five-inning perfect game in the opener, striking out 12 of 15 batters. Lauren Partaker had a homer and three RBIs in the nightcap for Glenbrook South (7-2).
Glenbrook North 15, Taft 7: Kristin Vasilenko had two hits, including a two-run homer to lead the Spartans (5-4) to the non-conference victory.
Good Counsel 19-14, Madonna 0-7: Kim Walker (13 strikeouts) no-hit the Marauders for a five-inning victory in Game 1. Eli Marrero drove in three runs for Good Counsel (12-1, 9-0 GCAC) in Game 2.
Joliet 4-6, Richards 1-8: Sandy Majchrowski doubled twice in Game 2 as the Bulldogs (7-3) split the non-conference double-header with Joliet (8-7).
Leyden 7-13, Bolingbrook 3-5: Candice Benesch tripled twice and drove in three runs in Game 1 for undefeated Leyden (11-0). Shavaughne Desecki (three hits) knocked in two runs in Game 2.
Loyola 4-7, Maria 2-6: Maral Binnebose (7-4) earned the victory in the opener and fueled a six-run sixth in the nightcap with a two-run single to lift Loyola (8-4, 4-0 GCAC Red) to its seventh straight victory.
Niles North 5-11, Wheeling 2-19: Kelley McCoy struck out seven, and Laura Weston had four hits and five RBIs as Wheeling (6-5) rebounded to take Game 2.
Resurrection 10-11, Queen of Peace 6-4: Jenny Schultz had five hits, including a homer, and Dawn Tuytens knocked in five runs in both games of the GCAC crossover for Resurrection (6-10, 5-6).
Sandburg 8-2, Homewood-Flossmoor 1-7: Melissa Schaefer and Tracy Hoffman each drove in three runs for Sandburg in Game 1. The Vikings (9-3) notched 15 hits in Game 2 to salvage the split.
Stevenson 13-11, Hersey 12-1: Kara Reiner went 5 for 8 with two RBIs in the twelve-inning opener and Jill Wolf went 4 for 5 in Game 2 for the Patriots (8-3).
Warren 5-6, Waukegan 3-3: Brianne Fisher’s two-run triple in the seventh inning sparked Warren (8-0) in the opener.
