Wheaton Academy receives holiday wish.(Sports) - Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL)

Byline: Dave Miller Daily Herald Sports Writer

The calendar read Memorial Day, but Wheaton Academy coach Chris Hudson said it was like another holiday for his players.

'Today was like Christmas morning,' Hudson said. 'We knew the presents were underneath the tree. We just had to open them.'

With lots of excitement and anticipation, the Warriors unwrapped a 7-2 win against Plano Monday afternoon in the Class A Somonauk regional championship game. It was just what they wanted - the first softball regional title in school history.

'It's awesome,' said Wheaton Academy shortstop Rachel Keating. 'It's the best way to end my senior year.'

While Keating's classmates left earlier in the day for Colorado on the school's traditional senior trip, she and senior third baseman Angelica Selvaggio stayed behind to help the softball program make history.

'Oh, there was no question I was going to play softball,' Keating said. 'I'm disappointed that I can't be with my friends and experience that, but, hey, if we go even farther, it's well worth it.'

Keating singled and scored in each of her first 3 at-bats to spark Wheaton Academy (21-7) to a 7-0 lead through four innings.

The Warriors sent out a total of 11 hits. Hannah Kosirog (2-for- 3, 2 runs, RBI), Lauren Chessum (2-for-3, RBI), Becky Fiala (2-for- 3, run) and Leanne Toellen (RBI double) contributing to a team effort against Plano (12-20).

Chessum (19-6) earned the victory with a 3-hitter. Both runs against her were unearned. The junior struck out 13, including seven in a row.

'(Catcher Bryanne McClurg) framed a lot (of pitches) for me,' Chessum said. 'Those strikeouts were hers.'

Up next for the Warriors is a 4:30 p.m. Thursday date with Lisle in the Indian Creek sectional semifinals. 'I feel our sectional is very favorable for us or for Lisle,' Hudson said. 'I think whoever wins that game has an excellent chance of going all the way to state.'

At Lisle: Lisle's Bridget Holtorf pitched as though she parked in a tow zone at North Central College Monday morning in Naperville.

Then again, the freshman does not yet have her driver's license.

Retiring the first 19 batters she faced in the Class A Lisle regional final, the right-hander did not complete the perfect game, but nevertheless notched a no-hitter as the Lions beat Indian Creek 3-0.

The winners received RBI from Erika Buchholz and Shannon Flanagan. It was the Lions' first regional championship since their lone Downstate appearance in 1994.

'I was really focused on hitting my spots,' said Holtorf (7-1), whose bid for a perfect game ended with a one-out, seventh-inning walk. 'My pitches were moving well.'

After surrendering the walk to Tracy Erlenbach, the Wolverines (22-9) brought the potential tying run to the plate when opposing pitcher Kayliegh Kennedy (15-5) reached on an infield error on the subsequent at-bat.

Holtorf proceeded to snuff out the inning with a grounder to third baseman Flanagan, who tagged out Erlenbach, and a pop up to first.

'We have two really good pitchers in Vanessa Kalal and Bridget, but we were pitching Vanessa too much,' said Lisle coach Rick Beato. '(Bridget) was really dominating today. We also took the bunt and steal away from them.'

The Lions (27-8) scored all the runs they would need in their half of the first as Buchholz, the starting shortstop, drove home Holtorf, who was on second as the result of consecutive walks.

Lisle added a pair of insurance runs in the fourth. Right- fielder Beth Okrie had one of the Lions' 7 hits to start the frame and scored easily from second on the one-out double by Flanagan, the only extra-base hit of the contest. Flanagan scored as well on the Wolverines' sole fielding mistake one out later.

Holtorf had 6 strikeouts.

- Kevin McGavin

At Driscoll: The greater the pressure, the better Megan Mazur pitches.

On Monday, Mazur pitched herself out of three jams, struck out 12 and threw her 15th shutout of the season to lead host Driscoll to a 10-0 win over St. Scholastica for the regional championship in Addison.

Seven of the sophomore's strikeouts came with runners in scoring position. With the win, the Highlanders (28-7) advance to the Westmont sectional where they will play Montini Thursday.

'When I get in a hole, the adrenaline is pumping,' said Mazur (22-7). 'But I know I just have to put the ball over the plate and the defense is behind me.'

The game was a classic example of pitching, offense and defense coming together to produce a one-sided mercy-rule victory after the Highlanders scored 4 runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Lindsay McCuiston led the Driscoll offense with 3 hits and 3 RBI. Her big hit was a triple in the 4-run fifth inning that scored 2 runs to give the Highlanders a 4-0 lead.

Catcher Gina D'Angelo also had 3 hits, while Mazur and center fielder Sammy D'Angelo knocked out a pair of singles in Driscoll's 13-hit attack.

The Highlanders jumped on St. Scholastica (13-8) immediately when Sammy D'Angelo and Beth Florina led off the first inning with bunt singles. McCuiston singled in D'Angelo and Florina scored on Mazur's ground out to second.

That 2-0 lead held until the offensive onslaught in the final two innings, but Mazur had some challenges along the way.

In fact, the Stingers had the bases loaded with nobody out in the top of the first on an error and 2 hits when Mazur rose to her first crisis and struck out the side. In the third, a single by Elizabeth Libetz and a double by Katie Schneider put runners on second and third, but Mazur fanned the next two batters.

Then in the fifth two walks and an error loaded the bases and Mazur stepped up with another pair of strikeouts. She gave up 5 hits and the 2 walks in the game.

Driscoll coach Mike Batka has been pleased with his team's development.

'We thought we would be good but not where we are,' Batka said. 'We're a young team, Megan is an outstanding pitcher and we can spray the ball, but our defense keeps us in games.'

- Neil Shalin

At Montini: Nobody seems to know if or when Montini won a regional softball title before, but the Broncos left little doubt that they were going to claim one Monday.

With newly graduated Lauren Gardner tossing a 1-hitter and striking out 10, the Broncos knocked off Timothy Christian 7-0 to claim the title of the Class A Montini regional in Lombard.

The Broncos (17-18) scored single runs off Trojans starter Kellie Kearney in the third and fourth innings, then broke the game open with 4 off reliever Jessica Lanenga in the fifth.

But the Timothy Christian bullpen didn't cost the Trojans (13- 15) the game, not with the way Gardner was putting up goose eggs.

Jessica Freundt singled off the third baseman's glove with one out in the top of the first inning. After that, Gardner held the Trojans hitless and retired 20 of the next 21 batters to lead her team to Thursday's Westmont sectional against Driscoll. Kearney reached on an error in the fourth, but Gardner did not walk a batter and faced just two batters over the minimum during her seven-inning gem.

'We wanted this very bad and everyone was up and excited,' Gardner said. 'I took the mound with confidence.'

Montini coach Tom Blackwell said his focused hurler was ready to go the night before the regional finale. 'She was outstanding today,' he said. 'I saw her at her graduation party last night and she was ready then.'

Gardner thinks the regional title may be the school's first, while Blackwell says they may have won one 'many, many years ago.'

The Broncos scored the only run they needed with two outs in the third. Erin Soger tripled when the left fielder slipped while trying to cut off her hit in the gap. Soger then scored on a passed ball for a 1-0 lead.

A stolen base by sophomore Lauren Timmins led to another run in the fourth, and then the Trojans made a pair of errors to help the Broncos break the game open with a 4-run fifth that featured a 2- run double by Trisha Scott (2-for-4, 3 RBI). Scott also blasted a home run over the fence in left to close the game's scoring in the sixth.

'That kind of speaks for us as far as the whole year goes,' said Timothy Christian coach Jim Woudstra. 'We've struggled against the better pitchers in the area. This young lady (Gardner), a lefty who throws hard, was tough on us.'

- Stan Goff