Little Leaguers make big statements

It takes a village to raise a child, according to the proverb. To make a statement on the road to youth softball preeminence? Sometimes it takes five villages.

The Clarendon Hills Little League 12U Softball All Stars this month put on a show of resilience and unity in winning the state championship, then battling into the final four of the regional tournament in an effort to reach the Little League Softball World Series. The result marked the best performance ever for the 7-year-old program, authored by a 13-player roster featuring girls from Hinsdale, Clarendon Hills, Burr Ridge, Oak Brook and Willowbrook.

The team demonstrated its dominating form in overwhelming Plainfield twice June 25 and 26 by a combined score of 35-0 to qualify for the state tournament in Rushville July 6-10. There, an opening 9-6 loss to Beardstown in pool play only seemed to steel the girls' reserve as they turned in a spotless record the rest of the way – including an avenging 10-0 victory over Beardstown in the semifinal - to capture the title.

"It says so much about their determination and character that they reeled off five straight wins and convincingly defeated a talented and focused Brookfield team twice - both in the pouring rain and on a picture perfect Wednesday night in July for the state championship," coach Rob Goeckel said.

Playing through the remnants of Hurricane Beryl - and some game rescheduling as a result - required focus, the girls said, as did enduring the daily 70-minute drive to the field from their hotel in Springfield. But at least they got to visit Abraham Lincoln's home.

In the final against Brookfield, the team scored six runs early and then relied on sharp pitching and rock-solid defense for a 6-1 triumph.

"It didn't really feel real that we won state until the morning after the game," said Kate Sunderson of Hinsdale.

"It was very uplifting and gave us a lot of confidence that we could win regionals," said Gia Sikorski of Clarendon Hills.

Many of the players had experienced a state title last year with the triumphant 11U team. But winning at 12U meant moving on to the Central Region tournament July 20-26 in Whitestown, Ind., with seven of their counterparts from other Midwest states.

Clarendon Hills opened with an impressive 5-0 win over the Kentucky team before a hard loss to Missouri. Goeckel said the girls demonstrated they were not content just to have made it to regionals with a bounce-back 4-0 victory over a tough Iowa contingent.

"The timely hitting and gold glove fielding was the epitome of 'team,' where all 13 girls contributed in a meaningful way up and down the lineup," he said. "The coaches were so proud of the heart and perseverance shown by making a positive adjustment from the Missouri game and regrouping to focus on the next play."

That set up a semifinal game against Ohio on July 25, a nail-biting pitchers' duel in which Clarendon Hills came up heartbreakingly short, 2-1. Ohio went on to defeat Missouri for the regional championship.

"The girls gave the eventual Central Region champion everything they could handle and fought until the final out," Goeckel said. "This regional exposure and experience will go a long way to help them handle future pressure and adversity."

Despina Patos of Willowbrook said she and her teammates always felt well-prepared.

"We had practices like almost every day of the week, doing the same drills to improve our fielding, hitting and baserunning," she said.

Olivia McEwen of Clarendon Hills said teams were surprised at the quality of their defense.

"Our defense together can get a lot of outs. And once we figure out how to hit off their pitcher, their defense falls apart," McEwen observed.

Sloane Breton of Hinsdale said great chemistry also was a key factor in the team's success.

"We all have a really good time with each other and work together well and try to do our best," she said.

Other members of the team were Charlotte Goeckel, Emmy Havens, Payton Kunitz and Abby Przyzycki of Hinsdale; Emme Campos and Meghan Wierzbicki of Clarendon Hills; Grayson Contreras of Burr Ridge; and Sawyer Hilding of Oak Brook.

Goeckel was assisted by coaches Jason Havens and Michelle Speziale.

10U All Stars shine

The Hinsdale Little League 10U boys All Star team may have been in Paris, Ill., not France, earlier this month, but the squad had its own gold-medal moment in capturing the state championship.

To get there, the boys mostly powered their way through the district tournament, outscoring their first three opponents 34-10 to set up a final against Clarendon Hills Little League. Fittingly, the close neighbors battled through a tight six-inning contest July 7 that ended in a thrilling 5-4 Hinsdale victory thanks to a Jack Rozum walk-off run-scoring single. Hinsdale head coach Bryan Rozum expressed admiration for both sides.

"They ended up being our closest game and toughest foe, a testament to how hard the boys have worked in both towns," he said.

In Paris, the boys again notched a series of one-sided victories, including 21-0 over South Holland, 10-0 over Paris and 15-0 over Warren Park.

William Kouri said the group already had a strong bond through playing travel baseball together this spring.

"We've always played well, and most of them are my Devils teammates," he said.

Bryan Rozum said that camaraderie was a key factor, as was their pitching prowess.

"Almost all of our kids were willing and able to throw hard strikes, get outs, coupled with really strong defense. I think a lot of teams downstate couldn't believe that we could run that deep with our pitching, because you're playing six games in four or five days with pitch count limitations."

That sixth game on July 16 was for the state title against Mendota. Some of the players admitted to feeling nerves, but not Billy Jaqua.

"I knew we were going to win it before the game started," Billy said. "I was so confident. I knew we were best team in tournament."

The team took a four-run lead into the bottom of the sixth, but Mendota loaded the bases with no outs. Kouri struck out the next three batters to lock down a 7-3 win and the championship.

"Lot of pressure for 10-year-old boys with a successful ending," Bryan Rozum said. "Whenever we had our backs against the wall, someone stepped up and got a big hit or made a big defensive play in the field."

A post-game trip to the Paris Dairy Queen by all the players and their families made the achievement even sweeter.

The other state champion members are Enzo Allegra, Henry Appel, Thomas Kinzler, Drake Kryscio, Nate Morris, David Napleton, Max Urbanek, Luke Wanless and Nathan Yun, along with assistant coaches Bill Jaqua, Chase Morris and Jon Urbanek.