Leyden’s Maize throws two-hitter, hits two HR

Updated: May 28, 2011 7:32PM

Morgan Maize treated herself to quite the present.

A day after her 17th birthday, the junior Leyden star smashed two home runs, drove in four runs and allowed just two hits in the circle as the visiting Eagles stunned host Conant 4-1 in a Class 4A regional championship game Saturday in Hoffman Estates.

The two home runs pushed her season total to 18. The four runs batted in gave her 77. Maize put the Eagles (27-7) up 2-0 with a two-run blast in the top of the first inning off Cougars junior ace Bri Cavin.

“The count was 2-1, and she threw an inside fastball and I was able to get around on it,” Maize said. “I think [the home run] gave our team a lot of confidence to go out there and play our game.”

Junior Kim Jacobson hit a home run in the second inning that narrowed the deficit to 2-1 for the Cougars (27-3). “I threw a rise ball and she got it pretty good,“ Maize said.

The Leyden junior (24-4) allowed just one single the remainder of the game. She struck out six and walked just one in the complete game victory.

“My screwball had a lot of good movement on it,” she said. “I threw a lot of pitches on the outside and they kept going for it. They hit the ball well, but fortunately my team really backed me up in the field and we played errorless ball today.”

Maize blasted a two-run opposite field shot in the sixth inning to put the game away.

The Eagles advance to face St. Charles North in the Schaumburg Sectional Thursday.

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