Softball: Huntley prevails in latest sectional battle vs. Barrington

In what has become one of the state's most engaging postseason rivalries, the Huntley and Barrington softball teams met for the Class 4A Barrington sectional title on Friday.

It was the eighth straight time they were facing each other in postseason play. After back-to-back losses, Huntley got back on the winning side with a 5-3 triumph at the Fields of Dreams in Barrington.

Junior pitcher Gretchen Huber's 8-hitter with 4 strikeouts proved be enough to send the Red Raiders (30-9) to the Rosemont supersectional on Monday to face Mundelein (35-1) at 4:30 p.m.

"Hats off to Barrington," said 17-year Huntley coach Mark Petryniec. "When you think about when we first started getting good, the bar has always been Barrington. They've challenged us to bring the best out of us."

The Red Raiders' best on Friday came from a little different style of play due the talents of Barrington's Arizona-bound receiver Emma Kavanagh.

"Our style of play got totally taken away because of her," Petryniec said. "Her pop-up time is great. We know she is going to have an awesome college career and I can't wait to see her at the next level. We had to change up the way we play. You're not going to steal bases on her so we stacked up the top of our order. We went to a station-to-station offense which has been against everything we were all season. Even on the turf field, we knew we were going to be slow (on the bases). Fortunately, we came out on top.

"The wonderful thing about this team is that we are not dependent on one player. And nobody hangs their head, There is no 'me' on this team. It's all 'we'. When we told them we were going to change the lineup, no one complained. From day one they bought into a different philosophy. Their goal has been the same all the way and now there is one more step to get there."

Both teams stepped on the pedal early, getting a run apiece in the first inning.

Barrington (28-6), the visitor on the scoreboard, got an RBI double to left center by Kavanagh to score Mimi Cline (2-for-4) for a 1-0 lead.

Huntley answered in the bottom of the inning when Meg Ryan (3-for-4 from the No. 2 spot) belted her ninth homer of the season. It hit the top of the centerfield fence and fell over.

"We prepared like crazy for this team," Ryan said. "We didn't have to even have to prepare for this team because we were prepared for anyone. Our juniors had never beaten Barrington so we wanted to win so much.“

The Fillies scored twice in the fourth, getting a 2-run double from No. 9 hitter Gabi Phillis to drive home Greta Mueller and Nina Brebach (2-for-3).

But Huntley answered with 4 runs in the bottom of the inning to close out the scoring. Infield hits by Christina Smith and Aubrina Adamik and a one-out single by Madison Rozanski (2-for-3) began the rally which produced runs on senior Elly Winter's groundout to first, a 2-run single to center by Alyssa Bonner and Ryan's RBI one-out line drive single to right field which made it 5-3.

Barrington had a big chance in the sixth with Shannon Kenney (reached on an error) and Brebach (infield hit) on first and second with no outs.

However, Huber (15-5) got the next three batters, two on strikeouts.

"The goal for me was really to keep the ball in the park," Huber said. That was really all I tried to do. At that point (sixth inning) all that was going through my mind was hitting my spots because I didn't do that earlier in the game. When I do that, even if they make contact, it's not as good contact."

Huber then retired the side in order in the seventh, getting the last batter on a terrific one-handed catch to her left by Winter in shallow right field.

"For sure, that was my second baseman's ball," Winter said. "But I called her off. Coach's rule is that if I call her off, I've got to catch it so I gave it my all. I had to make the last out to win the game. I'm a senior and this was one of the hugest games I've ever been in."

Barrington coach Perry Peterson credited the Red Raiders.

"They deserved to win," he said. "They got the clutch hits when they needed them. It was a good game but if you look at it objectively, the team that played a little better won the game. Good for them, I wish the best of luck to them on Monday.

"Their pitcher kept them in the game. She had clutch pitches, good effective pitches and a couple of called third strikes that changed the game. So give her credit. She did a nice job."

As did Fillies sophomore Katie Taraschewsky (27-6) this spring. She threw all but 15 innings of her team's 34 games.

"She's a gamer," Peterson said. "We played 34 games and I'm sure the naysayers would have said we should have been 20-14. But credit the girls. They didn't let that happen So we are proud of everyone on the team."

Taraschewsky's catcher, Kavanagh, graduates as the all-time career leader in home runs (64, one shy of tying the state record), walks, doubles, RBI and runs scored. Her 20 homers this season were a program record.

"Her career records are ridiculous," Peterson said. "Much of the program record book will change for Emma."

And the record books continue to include great moments in the recent Huntley/Barrington postseason series (Barrington leads 5-3).

"It's really the best rivalry we have," Peterson said.