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THE BUGLE APRIL 19, 2012
Sports
Hawks keep chin up despite losses to Elk Grove By Mike Sandrolini Sports Reporter
Maine South’s softball schedule is peppered with teams that are among the Chicago metropolitan area’s best.
SOFTBALL And coach Emmy Pasier wants it that way. “We want to play the best,” she says. The Hawks wrapped up last week by hosting a double-header against Elk Grove — one of those squads that clearly fits the bill as an area power. The Grenadiers (10-3) blanked Maine South in both matchups, 10-0 in six innings and 14-0 in five on Saturday. “This is one of the reasons we put Elk Grove on our schedule,” Pasier said. “We have Elk Grove, Leyden, Fremd and Conant on our schedule. They (Elk Grove) showed why they’re up there (in the rankings).” The Grenadiers led 2-0 after two innings in Game 1—one of those runs coming off the bat of Becca Walz, who homered to lead off the second. Elk Grove continued to go yard on the Hawks in the third as Devan Parkison and Megan Keegan cracked back-to-back homers. A five-run sixth-inning made it 10-0. Elk Grove pitchers limited the Hawks—who came into the twin bill hitting well as a team— to just five hits over two games. Dani Goranson held Maine South to three hits (all singles) during the first game. The Michigan State-bound right-hander, whose fastball is clocked anywhere between 60 and 63 mph, struck out eight. Although the Hawks slipped below .500 for the season (6-7) after dropping the doubleheader, Pasier likes how her team has played so far.The Hawks possess a solid nucleus of senior starters— Kaitlyn Mullarkey, Michelle Roberts, Maddie Vogg, Chrissy Polka and Nicole Johnson—but also started two juniors (Regan Carmichael and CC Budzynski) and a freshman (Emily Suwanski) on Saturday. Although Polka is the Hawks’ regular catcher, Emily
Mike Sandrolini/Bugle staff
Senior first baseman Kaitlyn Mullarkey had one of the Hawks’ three hits in the first game against Elk Grove ace Dani Goranson.
Wolf, a sophomore, got the start in Game 1. “I couldn’t be more proud of the team where they’re at,” Pasier said. “I’ve got a freshman, three sophomores and four juniors and five seniors, and you would never know it. They all come out and practice hard; they all come out and do everything that they need to do. We put the ages away and we say, ‘You’re varsity athletes.’ ” Sophomores Cara Laskowski (the Game 1 starter) and Jenna Christie (who went in Game 2), are the Hawks’ top two pitchers. Both have been doing an outstanding job, Paiser noted. “They’re as mature as you can ask a varsity athlete to be,” she
said. “They’re doing tremendous; they’re staying in the game. So you’re looking at three very young players (Laskowski, Christie and Suwanski) and I couldn’t be happier with their production.” “They’re doing very good,” Mullarkey added.“Cara got three home runs hit off her today, but she didn’t keep her head down. She pitched the whole game, and she did pretty well. There’s nothing we can do when balls go over the fence.” Speaking of production, the Hawks are getting plenty from Mullarkey’s left-handed bat. Earlier this season, Mullarkey hit for the cycle, and in a 6-3 Maine South victory vs. Waukegan on
April 12, she ended up one hit shy of the cycle after hitting an inside-the-park home run, a triple and double while driving in four runs. “It’s pretty exciting,” Mullarkey said. “When I go up there, I just think base hit. I’m not trying to think home run or whatever because what we need as a team if we’re down, we need that one spark and I try to do that. It’s been working out pretty good so far.” Johnson, along with Roberts and Vogg—the team’s leadoff and No. 2 hitters, respectively— have sparked the Hawks’ offense, as well. Roberts and Vogg had the Hawks’ only two hits in Game 2. Earlier in the week, Christie
threw a gem of a game as Maine South won 7-0 over Evanston in a CSL South contest April 10. Christie struck out a season-high 14 and held the Wildkits to four hits while the Hawks’ offense pounded out 11 hits. Carmichael belted a solo home run,while Johnson and Mullarkey each had two hits.Vogg hit a runscoring double, and Suwanski and junior Devin Castanon contributed RBI singles. Christie picked up her fourth victory of the season in the triumph against Waukegan. Carmichael (two hits) and Budzynski (double, two singles) provided additional offense for the Hawks. mike@buglenewspapers.com