The Montini Catholic softball team’s season ended with its 4-2 loss to Fenwick in the championship game of the IHSA Class 3A Glenbard South Sectional in Glen Ellyn on Friday, May 29.
The Broncos finished their season with a 23-10 record.
Montini sophomore Cameron Fox bashed her fourth home run of the season—a two-run blast in the top of the third inning—to give her team a 2-1 lead over Fenwick in the sectional final. The Friars took a 3-2 lead on a two-run double in the bottom of the fifth inning. Fenwick’s next batter hit a run-scoring single to extend the lead to 4-2.
Fox pitched a complete game in the loss to the Friars, allowing three earned runs, four hits and four walks while striking out seven batters.
Fenwick was the Glenbard South Sectional’s No. 1 seed. Montini was the sectional’s No. 3 seed.
“Fenwick is obviously a very solid team, top to bottom,” said Montini coach Amy Bukovsky after her team’s season-ending loss. “They’re just a very tough team. Defensively, they made some really great plays today. They executed very well. It just didn’t go our way today.”
Fenwick advanced to this week’s Class 3A super-sectional at Benedictine University in Lisle. The Friars faced Lemont in the super-sectional earlier this week. The winner of that game earned a berth in this week’s IHSA Class 3A state semifinals in Peoria.
Two days before facing the Friars in the sectional final, Montini crushed St. Francis (the sectional’s No. 2 seed) 17-4 in a sectional semifinal. The Broncos scored six runs in the top of the fourth inning to take an 8-1 lead over the Spartans. Montini added three runs in the fifth inning and piled on six runs in the seventh inning.
Montini junior Aubry Raffen went 2-for-3 with a home run and a double, and drove in four runs in her team’s May 27 win over St. Francis. Freshman Brooke Wills went 4-for-6 and scored three runs while driving in one run for the Broncos. Junior Bridget Ryan went 3-for-5 and drove in five runs. Fox, junior Cedona Barrett, sophomore Danika Lucadello, sophomore Natalie Glosky and junior Teagan O’Connor provided two hits each for Montini.
“We’re just really proud of our girls,” added Bukovsky after the post-season loss to Fenwick. “We are still a fairly young group. We’ve learned so much and gotten so much better from the beginning of the year. We’re excited for what’s to come in the future.”
Rams fall to the Saints in a sectional semifinal
The Glenbard East softball team’s season ended with an 8-0 loss to St. Charles East in a semifinal game at the IHSA Class 4A Bartlett Sectional on May 27. The Rams completed their season with a 21-5 record.
The Saints of St. Charles East scored six runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a quick 6-0 lead over the Rams, who committed four errors in the contest. The Saints held Glenbard East to four hits over seven innings. Junior Lilly Carver connected for two of the Rams’ hits. Sophomore Emma Jaras and senior Keira Nelson provided one hit each.
St. Charles East defeated Fremd 1-0 in Saturday’s sectional final to advance to this week’s super-sectional against Marist in Rosemont. The winner of that super-sectional moved on to this week’s Class 4A state semifinals in Peoria.
The Rams advanced to the Bartlett Sectional after winning the title at the Elk Grove Regional. Glenbard East defeated Lake Park 6-5 in the regional final on May 22 to capture the program’s first regional championship since 2003.
