On The Ball Magazine - Elk Grove Grenadiers

Elk Grove

Grenadiers

Fremd’s softball team headed to state title game: Lena Brottman prepares to pitch in Friday’s Class 4A state semifinal game against Elk Grove. Story and Photos By:…

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.

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.…

Elk Grove headed to the state semifinals

2-0 win over Cary-Grove sends the Grens into a meeting with Fremd.

Story and Photo By: Alex Mayster All signs pointed towards a stalemate on Wednesday night as Elk Grove and Cary-Grove battled to a scoreless tie through the first five innings of the Class 4A Judson University supersectional in Elgin. It wasn’t until the sixth inning that the Grenadiers capitalized on a three-error inning from the Trojans to take a 2-0 lead that they would not relinquish. Dani Goranson replaced Elk Grove starter Stephanie Mayday in the bottom of the inning and made quick work of Cary-Grove, maintaining the shutout and sending the Grenadiers down state for the first time since 1982. “This is wonderful,” Elk Grove coach Ken Grams said. “This group, I…

Elk Grove uses clutch pitching for sectional championship game win

The Grenadiers move on to Tuesday's super sectional game against Cary-Grove at Judson College in Elgin.

The Elk Grove softball team displays it’s sectional championship plaque. Story and Photos By: Charlie Burroughs In the final inning Elk Grove sophomore pitcher Dani Goranson smiled after giving up a bomb home run to center field, closing her and the Grenadier’s lead to one run in the sectional finals. She then composed herself after a mound visit, and forced a pop fly two batters later. She then struck out the final West Chicago Wildcat batter looking, giving the Grens a 4-3 win Monday evening, like they have so many times this year, on the backs of Goranson and senior Stephanie Maday. “That’s a big part of the game, what is in the circle,” Elk Grove…

Fremd defeats Elk Grove 1-0 for MSL championship

Brottman bests Maday in pitcher's duel

Fremd’s Lena Brottman composes herself for the next pitch against Elk Grove. Story and Photos By: Charlie Burroughs With a late 1-0 lead in the Mid-Suburban League softball championship, every pitch becomes a ride for Fremd senior pitcher Lena Brottman. It’s Fremd against Elk Grove, top of the fifth inning, with a slow drizzle coming down a full attendance seems extra packed, and extra intimate in the fenced-in facility. From the entrance it was concessions on top of bleachered fans on top of the backstop. A few feet away the Viking’s catcher takes strikes from Brottman against Grenadier starting senior pitcher Stephanie Maday who would love to get back the run she gave up the previous half-inning. …

Grens reach title game again

For the 10th time in 11 years, Elk Grove will be in the MSL title game

Sophomore infielder Dani Goranson shows a bunt for Elk Grove on Friday night. Story and Photo By: Charlie Burroughs A dynamic pitching duo and patient hitters has put Elk Grove girls’ softball team back in the Mid-Suburban league title game. The win 5-0 over the Prospect Knights, who are in second place in the Mid-Suburban East, on Friday evening, gives the Grens enough of a cushion to claim their third straight title game (10 out of 11) with four games left in the season. “We try to keep separation from the rest of the division,” coach Ken Grams said. “We don’t have to talk about that anymore because this game would do it. That’s our first…

Elk Grove powers past Conant

Grens slug their way to 15-2 win

Elk Grove’s Stephanie Maday (foreground) pitches against Conant while third baseman Dani Goranson (background) plays third base. Story and Photos By: Charlie Burroughs The first inning for the Conant defense and pitcher Bri Cavin was a mess of mostly the wrong kind of stats: three runs, two hits, two errors, and two strikeouts. Elk Grove took every Conant mistake and turned it into a run Monday afternoon in the 15-2 victory. In the first inning Conant began with a dropped pop fly, allowing the runner to advance to second. The following play, an overthrow to first on an Elk Grove bunt by infielder Dani Goranson scored that runner, making the score 1-0. With two outs, a…

Fremd outlasts Elk Grove in the seventh

Vikings are able to solve Grens' Majerus in the final inning

Joe Majerus fires a pitch for Elk Grove against Fremd. Story and Photos By: Charles Burroughs Through six and a third innings Elk Grove Village senior lefty pitcher Joe Majerus had Fremd batters stumped. With one out in the seventh in a 1-1 deadlock Majerus’ tricky curveball finally failed to catch the corners of the strike zone and two straight Fremd batters were hit. With two on, a routine ground ball by Fremd junior pitcher Sean Stutzman was muffed by the second baseman allowing Fremd senior infielder Kevin Ciardiello to score what proved to be the winning run. “With a day like this with the wind blowing out you wouldn’t think it would be a 3-1…