Illinois Shockwave takes second place at NSA Big B Bash softball tournament

KANKAKEE, IL – Glenview’s Illinois Shockwave 14u fastpitch team took second place at the NSA Midwest Big B Bash softball tournament held at Centrue Bank River Road Sports Complex on May 2 and 3.

The team earned top seed status in their pool on Saturday, defeating Victory Fastpitch (14-0), Yorkville Fury (10-8), and Lady Playmakers (15-0). Pitchers Sophie Stark and Alana Lapitan were in good form. In game one, Victory Fastpitch managed just one hit off of Stark, who allowed no earned runs and struck out four batters in three innings. Lapitan got the win for game two, allowing four hits over four innings, and Stark put away the final six outs to record the save. Stark went on to pitch another shutout in game three, allowing no runs on two hits while striking out three.

On the offensive side, bats were hot in game one as Shockwave exploded with 11 runs in the first inning of play. Emerson Sapienza, Grace Mosele and Kaylee Liberty led the team with a combined six hits and four RBIs. Game two was a back-and-forth affair heading into the fifth, when Shockwave managed to pull away—in part, thanks to a wild pitch that afforded Grace Butler the opportunity to steal home—and maintain a two-run lead to win it in the sixth. Megan Chin and Grace Mosele led the offense in game three, teaming up for six hits and three RBIs.

The team returned to River Road Park on Sunday morning to face Champaign Blue Ice in the first round of single elimination play. Sophie Stark was back on the rubber and pitched her third shutout of the weekend, allowing no runs on four hits while striking out two. Catcher Julia Bass led the offense going a perfect 3-3 at the plate, including an RBI triple in the fifth. The final score was 9-0.

The win advanced Shockwave to the semi-finals, in which the team played against Triple Crown Indiana Angels. Alana Lapitan recorded the win. She tossed 3 ½ innings of shutout ball, striking out two and giving up three hits. RBIs hit by Lauren Olsen, Kaylee Liberty and Cassie Rodgers propelled Shockwave to a six-run lead by the third and, despite a rally by the Angels in the seventh inning, the team held on to win (6-4) and advanced to the championship round.

The championship round pitted the top seeds in their respective pools against each other: Glenview’s Illinois Shockwave versus Chicago’s Windy City Thunder. Thunder took an early lead, aided by a two-run home run in the first. Shockwave battled, but was unable to get anything going until the fourth inning, when Emerson Sapienza put a rally in motion. Mia Swanson (running for Sapienza), Sophie Stark, Julia Bass, Anna Rempe, Lauren Mosele, Grace Mosele and Megan Chin all scored to bring the Shockwave within two runs of Thunder, but it was a case of “too little, too late” as Thunder scored one more in the fifth and time was called at the bottom of that inning after Shockwave suffered three quick outs. The final score on that game was 10-7.

Coaches Dave Stark, Rocky Sapienza and Kc Liberty were pleased with their team’s performance in the first tournament of the 2015 season. Illinois Shockwave heads up to Beloit, Wisconsin this weekend to participate in Southern Wisconsin Fastpitch Mothers Day Bash. For more information on Illinois Shockwave, visit www.illinois-shockwave.org .