Sandburg’s Brittany McIntire had a perfect game through four innings Saturday. Through six she had faced the minimum. And after seven the sophomore had completed a no-hitter.
But that wasn’t good enough for the win, as Buffalo Grove upset No. 5 Sandburg 1-0 in the second game of a double-header.
In the bottom of the seventh, Buffalo Grove (19-10) manufactured the game’s lone run, using an error, a walk, a double steal and a groundout. Melissa Counley was at third base with one out when Kate Steake hit a grounder to short. The shortstop looked Counley back to third and threw to first for the second out.
Counley then took off for home on the throw.
“It’s something that we practice,” said Buffalo Grove coach Laura Stock. “We’ve done that on a few occasions. She’s our fastest runner and she was in good position.”
Counley missed the plate on her first swipe and dove back for the plate. Counley was called safe, despite Sandburg coach Randy Couwenhoven’s objections that she ran outside of the baseline.
“You could see her footprints outside the baseline,” Couwenhoven said, “at least 3 feet outside. But that was the call and that’s the way it was going to stay.”
Stock maintained that a similar “back-door slide” was performed by Counley in the first game, which Sandburg (23-6) won 4-1, without any dispute.
“We tell our kids to take the side they give you,” Stock said. “It’s a lot harder for the catcher if you only give them your hand, instead of sliding in feet-first.”
The run spoiled an otherwise near-perfect day for McIntire.
“She threw a great game, and the bottom line is we shouldn’t have been in that situation in the first place,” Couwenhoven said. “She’s not in this thing for herself and I’m sure she was disappointed we didn’t put some runs on the board earlier. Hopefully we can bounce back and play well in our last three games and in the playoffs.”
Emily Badger.
Joliet 8, Providence 0: Mary Jaszczak threw a one-hitter and struck out 10 to improve to 16-1 for No. 2 Joliet (22-1). Katie O’Connell hit a three-run home run and Serena Cruz went 2 for 3 with an RBI.
Lincoln-Way 8-7, Marian Catholic 1-0: Laura Severson struck out 10 in the first game and went 3 for 3 with an RBI. Brooke James went 3 for 3 and scored two runs in the second game as No. 3 Lincoln-Way rolled.
Lockport 3, St. Charles 1: Lindsay Restino’s two RBIs sparked No. 8 Lockport (19-9).
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Larkin 5-2, Elgin 2-4: Kylee Teboda went 2 for 2 with a double and an RBI in Game 1 for No. 10 Larkin. Lyndsey Anderson pitched all nine innings of Game 2, giving up four hits and fanning seven for Elgin.
Conant 9-15, Schaumburg 0-1: Kristen Landis won both games for Conant, pitching 10 innings, giving up six hits and striking out eight. In the first game, Allison Hlavacek went 4 for 4 with two doubles and two RBIs.
Downers Grove North 1-0, Wheaton North 0-7: Shannon Walker, who went 4 for 6 on the day, scored the winning run for Downers North (14-12) in the first game. Stephanie Macek won that game, firing a two-hitter and striking out 10.
Geneva 7-17, Minooka 2-2: Sarah Carlson went 5 for 6 on the day for Geneva (19-6, 7-3) with four runs, three doubles, two triples and six RBIs. Shannon Pedersen earned the win in the first Suburban Prairie Red game, giving up two hits and striking out 11.
Glenbard South 15-4, Oswego 1-1: Jess Stephens went 5 for 7 with two doubles, four RBIs and two runs in Suburban Prairie Red action. Stephens set Glenbard South (19-8, 7-4) records for both doubles (17) and RBIs (40) in a season.
Illiana Christian 6-3, Thornton Fractional South 4-2: Erin Ragland drove in the winning run for Illiana (21-8) in Game 2 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.
Kaneland 1-3, Ridgewood 0-7: Jennene Fields won Game 2 win for Ridgewood (21-9, 9-6), tossing a three-hitter and striking out 10. She also went 2 for 3 at the plate in the Suburban Prairie White game.
Leyden Quad: Elk Grove (24-6) defeated Walther Lutheran 7-0 and then downed Leyden 3-1 for the title. Laura Ingram, who won the title game, struck out the final batter with the bases loaded.
Lisle 15-15, Timothy Christian 0-0: Kelly Paryl went 5 for 5 in the two three-inning games with a triple, a three-run home run and nine RBIs. Courtney Campbell also led Lisle (24-7), going 4 for 4 with a triple.
Montini 11, St. Edward 0: Jenny Willig pitched five innings of one-hit ball as Montini (20-5, 14-0) wrapped up Suburban Catholic play undefeated.
Morris 14-4, Batavia 4-3: Katie Kjellesvik went 3 for 4 and drove in three runs for Morris (19-9) in Game 1. Jenna Smart won Game 2, striking out eight and improving her record to 14-6.
Morton 8, Lane 0: Vicki Liszka tossed her sixth shutout of the season for Morton (17-10), surrendering only two hits while striking out 10 and walking none.
Mt. Assisi 10, Queen of Peace 6: Megan Pierucci went 2 for 2 with three runs scored and a three-run homer to lift Mt. Assisi (16-4).
Richards 4-2, Oak Forest 1-0: Lindsey LaChiana won both games for Richards (18-6), striking out 12 and recording her seventh shutout of the year. Natalie Krilich, who went 3 for 6 on the day, hit a game-winning, two-run homer in the sixth inning of the second game.
Sycamore 3-12, Riverside-Brookfield 1-2: Lynelle Benson went 4 for 9 with four RBIs and Lacey Gones went 4 for 7 with two triples and three RBIs for Sycamore (21-9, 9-6) in the Suburban Prairie White.
West Chicago 4, Glenbard East 2: Dana Catenacci, who went 2 for 3 on the day, hit a bases-loaded single in the top of the 10th to give the Wildcats (23-6, 9-3) the win. Megan Leston earned the victory, pitching the two innings played Friday before the game was suspended, and the remaining eight Saturday. The junior gave up five hits and struck out 11.
Wheaton Warrenville South 2-6, Lake Park 0-0: In the first game, Sarah Baumgartner hit what proved to be a game-winning single in the first inning for Wheaton South (17-11). She also went 2 for 4 in Game 2 with two RBIs. Kate Howard won the second game with a two-hitter.
Baseball
New Trier 12, Niles North 3: Matt Lottich went 2 for 4 and drove in two runs as the No. 2 Trevians (23-5, 12-1) rolled in a Central Suburban crossover.
Andrew 16, Stagg 3: Ed Legenza went 3 for 4 with two home runs and four RBIs to lead the No. 6 Thunderbolts (22-6, 5-2) in the SICA West.
Carmel 20-23, Marian Catholic 5-15: Zach Smole’s three-run home run in Game 1 lifted No. 9 Carmel (24-6, 15-1) in the East Suburban Catholic. Rhett Kivland had eight hits and eight RBIs in the double-header sweep.
Oak Park 13-14, Willowbrook 1-3: In Game 1, Adam Lopez was 2 for 4 with a two-run homer for the No. 10 Huskies (21-7, 15-1) in the West Suburban Silver. Pete Wolf belted a three-run homer in the nightcap as Oak Park completed the sweep.
Bremen 12, Bloom 2: Eric Miller’s grand slam lifted the Braves (15-14).
Downers Grove North 7-9, Morton 3-3: Tom Lyons threw a three-hitter with eight strikeouts in Game 1 as the Trojans (21-8, 14-3) swept the West Suburban double-header.
Glenbrook North 10, Maine South 8: Steve Ruh smacked a grand slam and drove in six runs for the Spartans (15-6, 9-4) in the Central Suburban crossover.
Grant 10-12, Union Grove (Wis.) 0-6: Brendan Lutz’s grand slam carried Grant in the first game. Chad Stroup went 3 for 3 with two doubles and three RBIs in Game 2 to complete the sweep.
Hinsdale South 2-9, Hinsdale Central 1-2: Bob Ingles’ two-run single carried Hinsdale South (22-10) in Game 1 of the West Suburban crossover.
Libertyville 4-4, Stevenson 3-1: In the opener, Matt Hall scored on an error in the ninth inning as the Wildcats (21-9, 8-4) rallied in the North Suburban. In the nightcap, Clay Booth tossed a four-hitter and struck out seven.
Maine West 9, Niles West 4: Eric Cabral struck out 10 to lead the Warriors (17-11, 8-5) in the Central Suburban North.
Minooka 3-5, Fenton 1-0: Matt Tanton tossed a four-hitter with 10 strikeouts in the opener for Minooka (21-9, 16-4). In the nightcap, Matt Kelly and Colt Newman combined on a no-hitter.
Montini 13, St. Edward 2: Chris Greiner was 2 for 3 with three RBIs and Ty Kowalewski had two RBIs to lead the Broncos (23-4, 20-1) in the Suburban Catholic. Montini has won 20 straight.
Naperville Central 15-4, Glenbard North 14-10: Gerald Clark smacked a grand slam as Naperville Central (20-8, 12-5) rallied from a 12-4 deficit in Game 1. In the nightcap, Eric Markovic homered twice for Glenbard North as the Panthers salvaged the split
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Oak Forest 11-12, Chicago Vocational 1-2: In the opener, Eric Woodridge was 3 for 3 with four RBIs and Mark Henninger homered for the Bengals (21-5). Packy MacFarlane was 3 for 3 in the nightcap as Oak Forest swept.
Prospect 10, Elk Grove 3: Joe Catomer was 3 for 4 with two home runs and four RBIs for the Knights (18-11, 9-5) in the Mid-Suburban East.
Reed-Custer 13-6, Herscher 3-8: Jarrod Lunsford went 3 for 3 with four RBIs in Game 1 for Reed-Custer (15-12).
Schaumburg 13, Palatine 8: Bret Frey singled home Tom Bart with the go-ahead run to ignite a five-run ninth inning for the Saxons (20-9, 9-5) in the Mid-Suburban West. Frey was 5 for 5 with three RBIs.
St. Ignatius 6, St. Laurence 5: Dave Driscoll hit two homers and Mike Brady’s two-run single helped the Wolfpack (17-12, 8-9) rally in the Catholic League. Driscoll also went the distance and scattered eight hits for the victory. St. Laurence is 15-8, 9-7.
St. Viator 7-2, Benet 3-8: Tim Huelskamp was 3 for 4 with three RBIs in Game 1 as St. Viator (15-15, 7-8) split the East Suburban Catholic double-header.
Thornwood 13, Joliet 12: Tom Calabrese and Adrian Gutierrez each homered as the Thunderbirds (20-8) rallied from a 6-0 deficit.
Warren 1-1, Antioch 0-3: Josh Gray’s RBI single in Game 1 gave Warren the victory. In Game 2, Joe Finkelberg’s two-run homer helped Antioch (24-5, 9-3) salvage the North Suburban split.
Waubonsie Valley 8-6, Bartlett 7-4: In the opener, Tom Baumgartner smacked a game-winning home run to lead Waubonsie (18-11, 15-9) in the Upstate Eight. In Game 2, Mark Haddad’s three-run homer helped the Warriors sweep.
Wheaton North 9-3, Wheaton Warrenville South 7-7: In the DuPage Valley, the Falcons (19-8, 11-5) won Game 1 behind a six-run second inning. Wheaton South’s.