Class 3A softball: JCA pounds its way to 11-0 regional semifinal win over Crete-Monee

NEW LENOX – You wouldn’t know it by the way she hit Tuesday, but Joliet Catholic Academy shortstop Mack Brow said she had been struggling entering the Class 3A Providence Catholic Regional semifinal against Crete-Monee.

All Brow did was go 3 for 3 with a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored to help the Angels (21-10) roll to an 11-0, five-inning win. The victory puts JCA in the regional championship game at 10 a.m. Saturday against the winner of Wednesday’s Providence Catholic vs. Kankakee game.

“It took us a time through the order to get used to the speed of their pitcher,” Brow said. “I have been in a little bit of a slump, so I made up my mind I was going hard at the ball until I got two strikes. I wanted to break out and do some damage.”

Brow did just that.

After the first two JCA hitters made outs on the first pitches they saw, Brow worked a 2-1 count before lining a single to center. The Northern Kentucky commit then stole second and went to third on a single to center by Alina Schlageter. Brow and Schlageter came home on an error on a ball hit by Addy Fanter for a quick 2-0 lead.

The Angels put up another two-out rally in the bottom of the second. Camryn Kinsella started the spurt with a single and went to second on a throwing error. A wild pitch sent Kinsella to third, and she scored on an infield single by Madison Patrick. Wrigley Fanter followed with a double to left that scored Patrick before Brow launched a homer to center to put JCA ahead 6-0.

“I was looking for a good pitch to hit [on the home run],” Brow said. “I got a good one and put a good swing on it.

“We try to scratch for some runs every inning. That’s how you win games. For us, if the top of the lineup isn’t hitting, the bottom comes through and picks them up. Or, if the bottom isn’t hitting, the top comes through and picks them up. We’ve been doing that all year.”

Staked to an early lead, Walker made quick work of the Crete-Monee lineup, striking out 10 in four innings and allowing only two hits. Sophia Stribis worked a perfect fifth, striking out two of the three batters she faced.

The Angels put it away in the bottom of the fourth. Wrigley Fanter and Brow each had an RBI single in the inning before Addy Fanter homered to center. Samantha Patrick later delivered an RBI double to cap the scoring.

“This was a good team win,” JCA coach Tina Kinsella said. “Everybody contributed, and that includes the girls we called up to be courtesy runners. They came in and did their jobs well. Sydney Walker threw really well today. She has a lot of movement and was able to control it. Plus, it was good to see our senior, Sophia Stribis, get an inning. You never know what might happen, and we may need her, so it was good to get her out there.

“Now we have three full days where we will have good practices. We aren’t going to change anything drastic and start doing new things. We want to keep things simple with our philosophies and just keep working on them.”