McAuley squeezes out win against OPRF

Updated: May 28, 2011 11:37PM

Mother McAuley’s unearned run in the bottom of the first inning was enough for the Macs to beat host Oak Park-River Forest in a Class 4A Regional final Saturday.

McAuley won its seventh regional title and won a regional for the second time in three years with a 1-0 victory. The Macs will play third-seeded Trinity, an 8-4 winner over Reavis, in the Morton Sectional semifinal at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

Second-seeded McAuley ended the worst season in coach Mel Kolbusz’s 19 years with the Huskies (10-22). Despite losing six senior starters, Kolbusz remained upbeat since the 10th-seeded Huskies will return pitchers Sarafina Andreoli, a junior, and freshman Emma Baldwin.

Andreoli pitched OPRF’s first shutout of the season Friday in a 2-0 victory over Fenwick. McAuley’s one run off Andreoli Saturday was the first run scored by an opponent in Andreoli’s last 18 innings of the season.

“She got ahead of the count. Her confidence pitching is out there,” Kolbusz said. “She gave up three hits today. One of them was with a full count.”

The Macs managed only four hits. The Huskies threatened with a runner at third in the second inning and runners at third and second ni the fourth, but could not score.

“This was the nicest group of girls I’ve ever coached,” Kolbusz said. “They get along really well. They hang out together. I was not disappointed with the effort because of how hard they played.”

The Huskies will lose ten seniors, including starters Erin Flanagan, Emily Bacalao, Jasmine Davis, Ann Ryan, Alana Weitzenfeld and Anna Munz. Munz ended her final game with a line drive to right field, which was caught on a driving grab by the McAuley outfielder.

Kolbusz entered the season with a 533-136 career record and has never had a losing season until this year. OPRF went 18-17 in 1998.

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