The OPRF softball team escaped an upset on Saturday by edging cross-town rival Fenwick 6-5 to win the Lyons Township Sectional championship.
The No. 1 seeded Huskies, who take on Queen of Peace Tuesday at OPRF for the super-sectional (4 p.m.), were forced to erase a 3-0 deficit that lasted into the fifth inning. Molly Sinnott doubled in two runs to finally put OPRF on the scoreboard.
Mara Blesoff’s sacrifice fly tied the game, and then the Huskies (32-6) went ahead 4-3 on an unearned run. Clare O’Connor then drove in a run with a double in the bottom of the sixth to put the Huskies up 5-3.
In the top of the seventh, Fenwick leadoff hitter Genevieve Berent singled and Courtney Monaco got on base on an error. Bridget Lally’s RBI single closed the gap and an unearned run tied the game at 5-5.
In the bottom of the seventh, with two outs, and runners at first and second, OPRF’s Lauren Gonzalez was in the batter’s box with a full count. She hit a single to drive in the winning run.
The Friars close out the season with a record of 15-15.
A win over Queen of Peace would advance OPRF to the IHSA Class AA State tournament for the sixth straight year. The Huskies won the state championship in 2005.
