Girls softball: What to watch for as playoffs heat up in the Rockford area
The entire softball season comes down to these next two weeks, and there are a handful of local teams still looking to finish things off with a bang.
More softball: Here are the top 5 Rockford-area softball teams headed into postseason play
One of the fastest growing softball rivalries in the area, between Orangeville and Forreston in Class 1A, will come to a head on Tuesday. NIC-10 champion Hononegah is set to kick off its postseason adventures this week as well.
Here's what you need to know.
Class 1A — Orangeville to meet up with Forreston
These two growing powerhouses will meet in Tuesday's Class 1A Forreston sectional semifinal, with the winner advancing to Friday's sectional final against the winner of the South Beloit-East Dubuque semi. Forreston took third in state at the 1A level last year and Orangeville placed third two years ago.
"We're definitely not done yet; this team wants to keep this going," Orangeville head coach Lon Scheuerell said. "This is such a big game coming up, for both teams, and both teams know each other pretty well. It's just going to be such a big challenge."
Orangeville (28-2) has been led by Leah Baker on the mound. She brings in a 19-1 record with 105 strikeouts and just 18 walks in 126 innings. At the plate, Megan Holder is hitting .495 with 12 doubles, while freshman Anika Kraft leads the team with five home runs.
Rylee Broshous continues to spark Forreston (21-5) at the plate after she went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a triple during the Cardinals' 11-6 win over Durand in the regional-final tilt last Friday. She is hitting .651 on the season.
Class 2A — North Boone falls to Rock Falls, again
The only thing that kept North Boone from a second straight Big Northern Conference regular-season title was Rock Falls, losing twice to them this regular season. Then, two faced off again last Friday and once more, Rock Falls knocked the Vikings off 2-0. The Vikings threw their star Cami Carter onto the mound again, but they weren't quite enough for the Rockets and their ace, Katie Thatcher.
Class 3A — Belvidere Regional, and North Sectional kicks in
Third-seeded Freeport (15-8) is the highest seeded local team in the 3A Belvidere North Sectional bracket, opening up against No. 6 Rochelle in Wednesday's Sycamore Regional opener. No. 5 Belvidere North opens up against the No. 4 Belvidere Regional hosts on Wednesday too.
Class 4A — Hononegah sets table for big run
Hononegah (25-6-1) rolled to the undefeated NIC-10 title and opens regional play against winless East on Tuesday and could face Guilford on Friday. While Hononegah has dominated most of the teams in the NIC-10 both times they faced off, it also has losses to North Boone and Stillman Valley this season, two 1A teams that are already eliminated.
Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on Twitter at @JayTaft. Sign up for the Rockford High School newsletter at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a wide variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears to youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star, and for over 30 years all together.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: IHSA girls softball playoffs heating up in the Rockford area
