Fremd’s softball team headed to state title game

Senior pitcher Lean Brottman struck out 16 in the Vikings' 4-1 win over Elk Grove.

Published By John Juettner on 6/11/2010

Lena Brottman prepares to pitch in Friday’s Class 4A state semifinal game against Elk Grove.
Story and Photos By: Alex Mayster
      EAST PEORIA - As if recording her 1,000th career strikeout wasn’t enough, Fremd hurler Lena Brottman struck out a state tournament single-game record 16 batters as the Vikings defeated Elk Grove 4-1 on Friday to earn a trip to the state championship.
      “She was on today. That’s exactly what we expect from Lena,”  Fremd coach Jim Weaver said of his ace. “Everything was working today; both halves of the plate, slow, fast, up down.”
      Brottman’s first nine outs were recorded via the strikeout before she started mixing ground and fly ball outs into the equation. The senior, who now has 1,014 career strikeouts, completed the game with no walks and just one earned run.
      The win pits the Vikings (33-4) against Sandburg, who defeated Moline in the other Class 4A semifinal. That game will be played following the Elk Grove/Moline game which takes place at 4:30 p.m. at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria.
      Brottman (30-2) said she wouldn’t treat the title game different than any other contest.
      “Just another softball game,” she said. “We have to do our thing again tomorrow and go for that state trophy.”
      Fremd broke open the pitcher’s duel in the fourth inning.
      Third baseman Kelly Voigt took a one-out walk before Elk Grove (36-5) starter Stephanie Maday (18-3), who had surrendered just two hits, was pulled from the game.
      Maday was replaced by Dani Goranson, who relieves Maday on a regular basis.
      “We’re going to do that,” Elk Grove coach Ken Grams said.
      Grams’ winning formula didn’t work this time as Jenny Schneider reached base on an error to follow the walk before Alexa Cinquegrani’s single put the Vikings up 1-0.
      Second baseman Megan Hubbard hit a sacrifice fly in the next at-bat to put Fremd ahead 2-0, and that was all the support Brottman would need.
      “We have such a special group of kids,” Weaver said. “We have eight seniors that lead us and great underclassmen. They get along really, really well. We talk to our kids about what they want and how hard they’re willing to work. And if they’re not willing to work as hard as they did we wouldn’t be here.”
      The Grenadiers got one run back on a leadoff homer in the top of the fifth from Kristen Cetkovic, but Brottman quickly put an end to any thought of a rally by striking out the next three hitters.
      “We started getting a little defensive about things and we needed to be a little more aggressive,” Grams said. “That’s how you have to be competitive wise is, be positive in your approaches.”
      Fremd answered in the bottom of the fifth when Laruen Zaworski’s triple knocked in a run. She would later score on the same play on a throwing error from right field to give Fremd a 4-1 lead.
      Elk Grove couldn’t answer and Fremd celebrated their state semifinal victory two innings later with their second victory over the Grenadiers this season.
      “We talked at the beginning of the year about what we wanted to get done,” Weaver said.  “And we’re in a position to make that happen tomorrow night.”

Elk Grove’s Dani Goranson pitches to Fremd’s Caitlin Patenaude.