South Elgin comeback stuns Streamwood

Upstart Streamwood could never get too comfortable Tuesday after jumping out to a 7-0 first-inning lead in the Class 4A South Elgin Regional semifinals because the top-seeded host team prides itself on comebacks.

The Storm chipped away and finally got a walk-off RBI double to left-center from Shannon Conway in the bottom of the seventh inning to come away with an 8-7 win and a berth in the championship game against the winner of Wednesday’s Elgin-DeKalb game.

“Everybody kept telling each other, ‘We’ve done this before, we’ve been down by seven before ... we can do it again,’” Conway said. “And we did it.”

Added South Elgin coach Jason Schaal: “Was the heart racing a little bit? Sure. Did I get an ulcer or two? Maybe.”

St. Charles East had led South Elgin (21-14) by seven May 3 before the Storm rallied for an 11-8 win. On Tuesday, four Storm errors and four hits by the Sabres off winning pitcher Sam Bolin (16-11) in the top of the first led to the 7-0 deficit. But South Elgin whittled it to 7-6 after three, then tied it in the fifth on Kara Rodriguez’s RBI single driving in Katelyn Stonecipher.

In the seventh, third baseman Brittany Delao dropped a pop up with one out, putting Brittany Koss at first. A wild pitch put her at second. Then, when Rodriguez drew a two-out walk, Koss stole third after ball four. Conway, who had gone 0-for-4 against losing freshman pitcher Kaitlyn Hedger, then got a pitch she finally liked and lined it out into left-center to the fence to win it.

“She kept getting me outside,” Conway said. “Finally it was right there.

“It was right down the middle. I knew it right away. I felt it on my bat, that it was a solid hit.”

The double by Conway was her 15th of the season, equalling a school record, and it wasn’t her only big play. In the top of the seventh, Streamwood (4-25) threatened to go ahead when Brittany Delao and Kaylie Jambor (3-for-4) led off with singles. However, Dani Fischer lined a low shot that Conway snared at third and threw to second for a double play. Then Andrea Barajas popped out to short to end the inning and set up the Storm for Conway’s game-winning hit.

“Shannon is always prepared at third, always knowing where to go with the ball, what the situation is, and what she’s going to do,” Bolin said.

Streamwood got first-inning RBI singles from Barajas and Hedger, an RBI double from Jambor, and four runs off errors in scoring seven unearned runs off Bolin.

“The first inning, it wasn’t that we were flat — we were overhyped,” Bolin said. “I think it caused us to make a few errors here and there. And then we just settled down and were on top of our game the rest of the way.”

Bolin didn’t give up another run, allowed five hits over the last six innings and walked no one else after giving up a first-inning base on balls. She struck out five. Still, there was the matter of overcoming the seven runs for South Elgin.

“Obviously we were chasing so we needed a bunch,” Schaal said. “But after that top half of the first inning, the first thing I said was ‘Let’s not look to get all seven. Let’s get two or three an inning and we can start building momentum and take this to the end of the game.’”

Katelyn Stonecipher, who went 4-for-5, doubled and — after a wild pitch — scored on Rodriguez’s sacrifice fly. Sara Irving doubled and scored on a wild pitch after Victoria Watt singled in the second then Watt came home on Stonecipher’s RBI single.

The Storm got within 7-6 in the third when Stonecipher hit a two-run single and Alyssa Buddle (3-for-3) scored on an error after singling.

“We came out firing,” Streamwood coach Nick Baird said. “It was like, “Oh my God, we’re here,’ we weren’t even thinking — we were just playing our game. They (South Elgin) never gave up. They kept chipping and chipping and chipping. We were looking for just that one more run. I think it would have helped.

“I’m proud of my girls, every single one of them, they battled, they hung with the best team in this region.”

The championship game was slated for 11 a.m. Saturday, but if Elgin beats DeKalb it will be played at 4:30 p.m. Friday so both Elgin and South Elgin can avoid Saturday graduation conflicts. If DeKalb wins, it will be played Saturday, but the time is still to be decided.

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