Knights spoil senior day

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AURORA -- The final game of the regular season was a playoff preview.

That's because Kaneland and Rosary meet again in the first round of the Class 3A Rosary Regional on Wednesday. The Knights and pitcher Erin Heyob had the edge on this day, putting a damper on Rosary's senior day doubleheader with a 7-0 shutout and followed with a 12-0 win in the finale.

Freshman Jessica Lubic started the scoring for Kaneland with a line single in the first inning. While Royals starter Audrey Ruddy escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first, she would not escape a similar situation in the second inning.

Following a pair of walks and a Sara Rose single, Vicki Mathieu drove in two runs with a double to the gap to make the score 3-0.

Meanwhile, Heyob left runners in scoring position in the first three innings, then began cruising. Her drop pitch and change of speeds had Rosary hitters guessing.

While she gave up eight hits and struck out only three, she got help from her defense. Maggie Yagen made a pair of outstanding plays from deep shortstop, and center fielder Lubic left her feet to rob Courtney Classen of a hit in the sixth inning.

"Erin threw well. She hasn't pitched a whole lot this year, but she did a nice job today," said Kaneland coach Dennis Hansen. "She had some nice plays behind her. Our offense has been pretty good all year, so I hope it will continue (in the postseason)."

The Knights (21-6) tacked on three more runs in the fourth inning. After a Rose single and a walk, Mathieu drove in a run on an infield hit. With two outs, two runs scored on a dropped fly ball.

Yagen drove in the final run in the fifth inning. She was 2-for-4 with an RBI, run scored, and a sacrifice bunt.

Kylie Schalz, who is hitting over .600 on the season, led the way offensively with a single and double for Rosary (17-12). But nine runners left on base, five in scoring position, led to the shutout.

In the second game, Chassidy Mangers went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, and Lindsay Hansen went 2-for-4 with three RBIs for Kaneland.

Control issues hampered Royals freshman pitcher Audrey Ruddy, who walked five batters in the first three innings. But she found the plate and finished with six strikeouts.

Softball: Kaneland 7-12, Rosary 0-0