Softball: Johanna Freemon, Sandwich slug past DeKalb

DeKALB – DeKalb had extended the game once already against Sandwich in the bottom of the fifth inning, scoring four runs to avoid a run-rule defeat.

In the top of the sixth, the Barbs seemed to get more momentum when Izzy Aranda turned an unassisted double play at third base.

But the Indians rattled off seven straight hits with two outs, including two home runs, and pushed six across the plate in a 19-5 win over the Barbs on Tuesday.

“We can definitely deal with the pressure,” said Sandwich cleanup hitter Johanna Freemon, who was 5 for 5 with six RBIs and a sixth-inning home run to center field. “We just keep uplifting each other. The energy stays up no matter what. And our coaches help us keep the happy environment up.”

In the season opener for the Indians (1-0), their bats were hot from the start. They opened an 8-1 lead off DeKalb starter Ayla Gould-Baty after four, then tacked on five more in the fifth off Baty-Gould and reliever Hazel Montavon.

But the Barbs (1-2) prolonged the game in the bottom of the fifth. They scored their first run thanks to two errors and a walk, then Sydney Myles launched the game’s first home run, a three-run blast to center to cut the lead to 13-5.

DeKalb didn’t score again.

“I would have liked to have seen us adjust at the plate sooner,” DeKalb coach Haley Albamonte said. “We know teams are going to hit off us. Ayla is a good pitcher, not her natural position. So she has really stepped up for us. And I just wish our offense was there to support her a little more.”

The Barbs finished with five hits in the loss, three by Myles.

Albamonte said the team has done a good job of hanging around for the full game after opening the year with an 8-5 loss to Belvidere North and beating Belvidere 14-4.

“The girls keep fighting, which I love to see,” Albamonte said. “We just kind of have to put all the pieces together.”

Sandwich banged out 24 hits in the win. Leadoff hitter Jillian Ashley and No. 8 hitter Alexis Sinetos had four hits each. Kayden Corneils had three hits and four RBIs, while starting pitcher Aubrey Cyr had two hits and two RBIs. Each starter had at least one hit, and eight of the nine starters scored.

Sandwich coach Matilda McGuire said offense has been a focal point of the offeseason.

“That definitely served in our favor with the amount of hitting that we’ve been practicing,” McGuire said. “We’ve also been scrimmaging quite a bit, so our varsity hitters are practicing off of our varsity pitcher. So that helps when we face other varsity pitchers.”

McGuire said she was glad to see her team bounce back after the Barbs avoided the run rule and Aranda turned the double play.

“In the past we might have been complacent with, ‘Well, I just guess that’s how it’s going to go,’” McGuire said. “But with these girls being so hungry and the desire to do their part, we have a very small team, so I think the girls are taking seriously the leadership of each individual doing their part at the plate.”

Freemon said the team has some high expectations for the year, and Tuesday was a solid start in achieving them.

“It’s a great way to start off our senior years,” Freemon said. “It sets how we’re going to work for each other the rest of the year. We want to go past regionals. We’ve been working really hard in practice, so this just shows how hard our work has paid off.”