High school softball: Aurora gets rare win at Highland to clutter SL American race

GRANGER TWP. — The nightmare on Ridge Road finally ended for the Aurora softball team. So, too, did a lengthy Suburban League American Conference winning streak by Highland. It came Tuesday in a 5-3 win by the Greenmen at Granger Elementary School to erase ghosts from the past. The Greenmen (8-4, 2-1) were walked off on the last time they played on the road against the Hornets and made sure that didn't happen again. The game ended when catcher Madeline Dalessandro relayed a wild pitch from Mackenzie Krafcik (4-2) back to home plate to throw out Paige Berkmeyer. The victory snapped a 20-game league winning streak by the Hornets (7-4, 3-1) that dated to April 26, 2018 (Revere, 8-3). "I just told the girls going into that last inning this has been a field of horrors for us," Aurora coach Sam Petrash said. "I didn't use those exact words, but I told them this is a whacky field for us. Every time we play here, we always find a way to lose or something weird happens." The loss clogged the American Conference, with Aurora, Highland and Copley each counting one loss as the race nears the halfway poll. With a game at Copley today, the Hornets need to reset quickly. "(Today) is really important," Highland catcher Kennedy Steinbacher said. "All we have to look for is base hit. Then we should be able to win." Steinbacher (2 singles, double), Liz Kasper (single, double, run), Maddie Misanko (2 singles) and Berkmeyer (2 singles) were solid at the dish for the Hornets, but a lack of timely hits did them in. Highland stranded seven and had runners thrown out at home and third to end innings. "To be honest, with what the other teams are doing in the conference, we put this one away and move on," Hornets coach Brent Belsole said. "It's only one loss, so we'll leave this one alone. We left a lot of baserunners. The bottom of our order produced and the middle of our order produced. Our top was a little bit off. We just have to get them all together and we'll roll." What Highland learned more than anything was to avoid McKennah Metzger the next time the teams meet. The freshman absolutely tattooed a two-run home run to left-center field in the fifth to give the Greenmen a 4-2 lead and added a solo home run in almost the same spot in the seventh. "We have to move the ball more," Belsole said. "They have some big hitters and if you miss your spots, they make you pay. The second run was the nail in the coffin. A one-run game against a good team like that, you still possibly have a chance. When it's a two-run game, it's a lot harder. You have to play the game differently, too." The home runs by Metzger were the third and fourth of the season for the right fielder, who is batting .548 (23-for-42) with 14 RBIs. While her first home run proved to be the game-winner, the solo shot in the seventh on a 3-0 pitch did a little bit more for Aurora. "It was such a close game. I was just trying to focus in," she said. "I knew we needed a little more room than we had. I knew with a 3-0 count it was going to be my pitch, so I wanted to be aggressive and go for it. I was ready. I stayed back on it and did what I could with it." Contact Brad Bournival at bournival929@gmail.com. Aurora 5, Highland 3 AURORA 200 020 1 — 5 10 0 HIGHLAND 020 001 0 — 3 13 1 WP — Mackenzie Krafcik (4-2) 7 innings, 3 earned runs, 4 strikeouts. LP — Liz Kasper (4-3) 4 1/3 innings, 4 runs, 3 earned, 4 strikeouts. Aurora (8-4, 2-1) — McKennah Metzger single, 2 home runs, 3 RBIs, 3 runs; Krafcik 2 singles, RBI; Maggie McVicker 2 singles, RBI; Madeline Delessandro 2 singles. Highland (7-4, 3-1) — Kasper single, double, run; Kennedy Steinbacher 2 singles, double; Maddie Misanko 2 singles. Paige Berkmeyer 2 singles.