NewsTribune Softball Notebook: Monday’s schedule full of rivalry games

Monday is a day full of rivalry games on area diamonds.

In softball, Ottawa travels to La Salle-Peru for their first Interstate 8 Conference matchup of the season, while St. Bede will host Marquette in Tri-County Conference play, and Bureau Valley will play at Princeton in the Three Rivers Conference East.

L-P (11-7, 3-1 I-8) and Ottawa (12-6, 2-2) also will meet May 8 in Ottawa.

St. Bede (11-1, 6-0 TCC) and Marquette (8-2, 6-0) met Thursday in Ottawa, and the game was suspended in the fifth inning with the score tied at 5.

Monday’s meeting will be the first between Bureau Valley (9-3, 3-0 TRC East) and Princeton (8-4, 3-2) this season. They’ll wrap up their final two-game TRC East series Thursday in Manlius.

The same teams will meet in baseball with Ottawa at L-P to open a three-game I-8 series, Marquette traveling to St. Bede to finish a two-game Tri-County set and Princeton hosting Bureau Valley for the first of a two-game TRC East series.

The Cavs and Pirates play at L-P again Tuesday and wrap up the series with a 6:30 p.m. game Wednesday in Ottawa.

The Bruins and Crusaders played Thursday. The game was scoreless when it was suspended in the fifth inning because of rain.

Princeton and Bureau Valley play again Thursday in Manlius.

STEPPING UP BEHIND THE PLATE

Entering the season, Hall had a hole to fill at catcher, so freshman Caroline Morris volunteered to go behind the plate for the Red Devils.

She has excelled in her new role.

Morris has a 1.000 fielding percentage with 52 putouts and four assists.

“She has been so effective for us offensively and defensively,” Hall coach Elle Herrmann said. “She has never been a catcher but stepped up this year when we needed the position filled. She currently has the highest fielding percentage and highest number of putouts on our team. She’s doing phenomenally at bat, as well, with our highest batting average.”

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BRUINS’ BATS ON FIRE

With seven starters back from last year’s Class 1A state championship team, it’s no surprise St. Bede is putting up big offensive numbers this season.

Entering Friday, the Bruins have outscored opponents 125-23, averaged 10.4 runs per game and have scored double-digit runs in half of their 12 games.

The Bruins have three players who rank in the top 10 in the area in batting average in Bella Pinter (.529), Ella Hermes (.500) and Lily Bosnich (.476), while Reagan Stoudt (.444), Maddy Dalton (.417) and Maci Kelly (.391) also are having strong seasons at the plate for St. Bede, which is hitting .377 as a team.

The St. Bede lineup has plenty of power as well.

Pinter leads the area in home runs with four, and Stoudt is second with three. Bosnich has a pair of homers, while Kelly and Hermes have hit one each.

Pinter ranks third in the area in RBIs with 18 and Stoudt is seventh with 14.

The Bruins’ powerful offense is providing more than enough runs for their dominant 1-2 pitching punch of Hermes and Stoudt.

Hermes is 5-0 with a 1.09 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 32 innings, while Stoudt is 4-1 with a 2.90 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 29 innings.

St. Bede faces a big test when it hosts three-time defending Class 2A state champion Rockridge at noon Saturday. The Bruins have been bumped up to 2A this spring and both are in the Peoria Notre Dame Sectional.

NEW PLAYERS FITTING IN

Two softball programs are getting a boost from new talent this season.

Bureau Valley has gained two new players: Kadyn Haage, who moved in from Somonauk, and Sadie Bailey, who came from Lowpoint-Washburn. Haage, who was batting .360, is playing at third base with Bailey (.286) across the diamond at first.

“Both are fitting right in,” Shepard said. “Haage is our entertainment, and Bailey Is doing awesome, also. Two great girls that are getting stronger every game.”

Princeton has picked up sophomore Keely Lawson after her yearlong transfer from Bureau Valley was finalized. Coach Jhavon Hayes said Lawson has been flexible and willing to do whatever she needs to help the team, playing center field and shortstop.

“She still wants to pitch, but I won’t let her,” Hayes joked.

A highly touted prospect, Lawson has heated up as late at the dish, going 5 for her last 7 with five RBIs, her first homer of the season Saturday at Geneseo to help power the Tigresses to a 6-1 win over the Maple Leafs. She is hitting .375 with 15 RBIs.

TALENTED BATTERY

Henry-Senachwine has a talented battery leading the way this season in junior pitcher Lauren Harbison and classmate Kaitlyn Anderson behind the plate.

Harbison is 5-5 with a 1.35 ERA with an area-leading 104 strikeouts in 62 innings. Anderson has 77 putouts, six assists and a 1.000 fielding percentage at catcher.

Anderson also is one of the area’s most dangerous hitters with an area-best .704 batting average. Eleven of her 19 hits have gone for extra bases with four doubles, four triples and three home runs. Anderson also has 16 RBIs and 11 runs.

Harbison is a strong offensive contributor as well with a .391 batting average and 15 runs scored.

COMING HOME

La Salle-Peru has two former players as varsity assistants this season in Kara Turczyn and Alexia Michael.

Turczyn graduated in 2018 and went on to play at Illinois Central College, while Michael is a 2021 graduate.

“Once a Cav, always a Cav,” L-P coach Randy Huebbe said.