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DOWNERS GROVE – Megan LoBianco made her final game on Downers Grove South’s softball field a memorable one.
The senior scored three runs and drove in three runs as the Mustangs topped Wheaton Warrenville South 7-0 in a Class 4A regional championship game May 28.
“It’s actually really sad,” LoBianco said of playing for the last time on South’s home field. “I have loved getting to know all these girls. I’ve been playing with them for the last four years so it’s sad, but to know that we’re leaving on a good note and getting coach his 700th win is a great feeling.”
The win in the regional final was No. 700 for longtime South head coach Ron Havelka, but he hoped to add more starting with a showdown against rival Downers Grove North in a sectional semifinal May 31.
“It means I’ve been around a while,” Havelka said with a laugh. “I’ve been lucky. Our girls are very dedicated. They work very hard in the offseason lifting weights and conditioning, and that all [contributes] to our success.
“They always seem to come together and we’ve done very well over the years. We always try to put something together where the kids are really competitive and they usually answer the bell.”
The Mustangs (32-3) got out to a 3-0 lead on the Tigers in the bottom of the first inning, added three more in the fourth, and LoBianco added an extra run in the sixth.
“From the very beginning when we started warming up we were super pumped for this game,” LoBianco said. “We’ve been preparing all season long for games like this, so we were all ready and we definitely all contributed. This was a nice team win. No one was really the solo key to our winning.”
Caroline Hedgcock surrendered just one hit over five innings in the pitching circle to earn the win, and Payton Buresch struck out four over two innings of hitless relief.
LoBianco and Lindsey Herrmann each collected two hits, and Herrmann drove in LoBianco three times.
Downers Grove North softball
Madi Greenaberg and Savannah Rodriguez hit solo home runs and Katie Polaski had a two-run single that scored Cece Miglio and Raemon Meents as the Trojans topped host Geneva 4-0 in a regional championship game May 28.
Rodriguez gave up just three hits and struck out five to earn the pitching win and send the Trojans (23-5) into a sectional semifinal game against Downers Grove South on May 31.