Softball: Marengo holds off Johnsburg, earns share of KRC championship

MARENGO – Marengo expected Wednesday’s Kishwaukee River Conference rematch against Johnsburg to be much closer than when the Indians beat the Skyhawks by 12 runs two weeks ago.

A three-run home run by Johnsburg first baseman Ella Smith in the top of the first inning showed that the Skyhawks would not be a pushover.

In the end, Marengo got enough timely hits to overtake a determined Johnsburg team, holding on for an 11-8 win and giving the Indians their first KRC championship since 2018.

Marengo (20-2, 8-0 KRC), winners of 10 in a row, placed runner-up to Richmond-Burton last spring and were third the year before. The Indians can take the KRC title outright with a win in either of their final two games against Woodstock.

“The kids have been working hard all year,” Marengo coach Rob Jasinski said. “This game was tough, and we know they’re just going to get tougher from here.”

Johnsburg sophomore pitcher Joree Tibbs retired the first six Marengo batters in order before the Indians rallied and scored three runs in the third.

Gabby Gieseke drove in Jozsa Christiansen, who had a leadoff double and moved to third base on a groundout, on a squeeze bunt. Lilly Kunzer then drove in Gieseke on a double to the right-center gap to trim Johnsburg’s lead to 3-2.

Kunzer moved to third base after a fielding error on the next batter, and Emily White scored her on an RBI groundout, making it 3-all.

The teams remained tied going into the bottom of the fifth until Kunzer hit a two-run home run, her second in as many days.

“I started off a little rough, so that [home run] gave me some cushion knowing I could get a little loose when I pitched,” said Kunzer, who was 3 for 4 with three RBIs and earned a win in the circle. “[Sophomore catcher] Kylee [Jensen] came to the mound to relax me, and I knew my defense was going to back me up.”

Marengo went on to score six runs in the sixth to take an 11-4 lead. Freshman shortstop Gabby Christopher (2 for 3) had the biggest hit of the inning, lining a two-run double past third baseman Evelyn Mercurio to bring in AJ Pollnow and Christiansen (2 for 3, double, two runs).

Johnsburg, however, did not go away.

“The kids have been working hard all year. This game was tough, and we know they’re just going to get tougher from here.”

—  Rob Jasinski, Marengo coach

The Skyhawks responded with four runs in the top of the seventh, getting an RBI triple from Nicole Jihlavec, a two-run homer from Brooke Klosowicz and an RBI hit from Sarah Nethaway before Kunzer retired Kimmy Whitlock for the final out.

Johnsburg first-year coach Katie McKay Phillips was proud of her team for not backing down.

The Skyhawks (7-9, 3-5) are a young team with more underclassmen than upperclassmen but have started to turn things around.

“They’re being put in these key situations against some great teams, and they’re showing up. They’re battling,” McKay Phillips said. “They’ve just been getting better and better. Defense has been tightening up. They’re awesome girls and have great attitudes.

“Everyone comes out and wants to play hard.”

Klosowicz, the team’s only senior, was 3 for 3 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs scored, Jihlavec was 2 for 4 with two runs and an RBI, and Carly Burnopp went 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored. Kayla Reiner had two hits and scored a run at leadoff.

Emily White had two RBIs for Marengo, and Gabby Gieseke scored three runs.

Marengo senior right fielder Mia Lulinski, who is going to NIU next year but not playing softball, said Wednesday’s win was important to everyone.

“Everyone knows the ‘M’ on our shirts,” Lulinski said. “We play for each other and the community.”

Senior Maddy Christopher, who suffered a finger injury in warmups last week but can still run the bases, said winning the KRC title meant a lot to her.

“I feel with the COVID season, we lost a lot and didn’t get the same bonding experience we get now,” said Christopher, who is close to breaking the team’s all-time stolen base record. “Winning this after how much we bonded and worked together means a lot.”