Elmwood Park 8
Trinity 3
The Trinity softball team finished the season with the most wins ever in the program’s history, but fell short of its goal to go to the Class 3A State Championship by losing to Elmwood Park 8-3 in the River Forest Sectional final on Saturday.
Both teams remained scoreless until the top of the fourth inning. The Tigers got a few walks to get the bases loaded before three consecutive singles resulted in four RBIs.
Trinity (24-11) jumped on the scoreboard in the fifth. After hitting a triple, Taylor Golden scored on a wild pitch.
“On that first at bat, I took myself out of it. The second one I made sure I stayed focused,” said Golden, the team’s designated hitter. “I think it pumped the girls up to know that everyone can hit.”
The Tigers added four more runs in the sixth. Trinity kept battling, getting two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Laura Eichenold and Vivi Castellanos both singled and Golden walked to load the bases with two outs. It set the stage for pinch hitter Emily Landa to step up to the plate. Landa delivered with a double to score the two runs.
“I knew my team needed it. I knew it needed to happen.” said Landa about her clutch hit.
Trinity’s Monica Albano led all hitters by going 3-for-4 with a double and two singles on the day.
“We got good hits but not at the right time,” said Albano. The junior reflected on the season overall, “It feels good to have the best record, but we thought we were going to go so much farther.”
Castellanos and Mimi Ramirez had two hits apiece for the Blazers.
Earlier in the week, Trinity defeated Guerin 4-0 in the sectional semifinal with an impressive defensive game that included two double plays. Castellanos led off the second inning with a double and scored on a wild pitch. Golden doubled in Erica LeCoure to go up 2-0 on Guerin.
The Blazers added two more insurance runs in the third. Annie Logisz had a bunt hit and scored on another wild pitch. Albano doubled and was brought home on a single by Castellanos. Albano reached base every at bat. She had two doubles, a single and was hit by a pitch on her first at bat.
The Blazers turned two double plays to protect the shutout. In the top of the fifth with a runner on first, catcher Eichenold caught a foul ball and made the throw to LeCoure at first to get the runner scrambling back from second.
The second double play came in the next inning. Two runners were on base for the Gators with one out when Logisz caught a well hit ball in centerfield and threw to Albano, who was covering second, to end the inning. Pitcher Emma-Leigh Strock had six strikeouts in the win.