Stagg is a four-time state elite eight qualifier. Joliet is the No. 1 team in Chicagoland. When the two softball teams met Monday afternoon in Palos Hills, something was bound to give. But unfortunatley for the top-ranked Steelmen, it was their defense.
The No. 8 Chargers (18-7, 4-1) downed their SICA West rival 4-2 even though they only had four hits on the day. Joliet (21-2, 4-1) committed six errors, while the usually dependable Mary Jaszczak (14-1) gave up three earned runs, far above her earned-run average of 0.87.
“You can’t make any mistakes against Stagg,” said Joliet coach Dale O’Connell. “We had a lot of chances. We outhit them 11 to 4, and we loaded the bases a couple of times. Unfortunately, we left 12 runners on base and committed too many errors.”
Kari Kopchik (7-3) picked up her first conference victory and Melissa Cozzi earned her first save of the season. Rachel Gensch, Meghan Weimer and Cozzi each singled and drove in a run.
Buffalo Grove 11, Hersey 1: Jenny Maleck hit a three-run double in the first inning and Melissa Conley (3-4) added a two-run double in the fifth for No. 4 Buffalo Grove (24-0, 13-0) in the Mid-Suburban North.
Downers Grove South 7, Morton 1: Tess Kochan hit a two-out, run-scoring double in the seventh inning to tie the game at 1-1, then added a two-run double in the eighth as the No. 9 Mustangs (20-5, 8-0) rallied in the West Suburban Gold.
Downers Grove North 5, Hinsdale Central 2: In the West Suburban Silver, Lauren Kuchna had a double and two RBIs for Downers North (13-8, 4-2).
Immaculate Conception 8, Rosary 3: Charlotte Westhoff went 2 for 3 with an RBI and improved to 7-2 as the Knights (18-4, 13-3) cruised in the Suburban Catholic.
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Lyons 1, Glenbard West 0: Kerri Gilfillan singled in Lindsay Richards for the lone run for Lyons (17-6, 4-2) in the West Suburban Silver.
West Aurora 3, Glenbard East 0: Cyndy Schubbe pitched a no-hitter and struck out eight for West Aurora (19-7, 7-1) in the DuPage Valley.
Baseball
Schaumburg 5, Rolling Meadows 4: The No. 3 Saxons (20-3, 10-1) prevailed as Josh Dryden hit the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Fenwick 6, Loyola 4: Dave West went 1 for 3 with two RBIs in the Catholic League North as Fenwick (13-6, 11-4) prevailed.
Glenbard West 2, York 1: John Timm (2-4) scored both runs for the Raiders (17-9, 9-5) in the West Suburban Silver.
Glenbrook South 6, Niles West 1: Dave Lykowski (2-3) batted in two runs for the Titans (17-5, 10-1) in the Central Suburban League South.
Hinsdale Central 3, Proviso West 1: Mike Glosniak (7-0) struck out 13 and allowed four hits to lift the Red Devils (20-5, 10-4) in the West Suburban Silver.
Lane Tech 4, Clemente 3: Miguel Ruiz went 2 for 3 with a triple to help Lane (18-6, 8-1) remain at least tied for first in the Public League North.
Nazareth Academy 10, Illiana Christian 2: Sean Eagan (7-2) struck out 12 and gave up four hits to help Nazareth (20-3, 13-1) earn its second straight Private School League championship.
Plano 3, Wilmington 1: In the Interstate Eight, Raul Torres (3-1) struck out eight to help Plano (19-6, 7-3) earn its tenth straight victory.
Riverside-Brookfield 14, Elmwood Park 2: Tim Aurrichio doubled twice and drove in four runs as the Bulldogs (20-1, 14-0) rolled in the Suburban White.
St. Benedict 8, Quigley 3: The Bengals (19-3, 9-0) won their fifth conference championship in six years behind Andre Robles (6-1) who struck out 15 in six innings.
Taft 14, Sullivan 1: Joe Colucci (2-2) homered and had four RBIs in the Public West as Taft (14-3, 7-0) rolled.
Girls soccer
Glenbrook South 5, Niles North 0: Susie McCreery had four saves to record her 12th shutout of the season for the Titans (9-4-3) in the Central Suburban.