The Sycamore softball team won a pair of thrillers Saturday against Belvidere North, following a 16-13 win with a 5-4 victory.
In the first game, the Spartans (13-11) had 20 of the game's 34 hits. Kayley Aase was 4 for 4 with a home run, double and four RBIs. Izzy Odom had two hits and four RBIs, BobbieAnn Gable was 4 for 5, Rachel Reifsteck was 3 for 5 with two RBIs, Taylor Aasen was 2 for 4 with a double and three RBIs, Brooke English had three hits and Jordyn Shultz had two.
The Spartans built their lead to five in the top of the seventh, turning a no-on, two-situation into a big inning that proved big as North scored two in the bottom of the frame.
"It was one of those games where you never felt comfortable with any lead," coach Jill Carpenter said. "Kayley and Bobbieann had a tremendous day at the plate in Game 1 and Izzy stepped up in an offensive role she isn't used to. Credit to her for getting in the box and taking her hacks up there."
In the second game, Morgan Klassen's first varsity hit, an RBI single in the top of the seventh, proved to be the winner for the Spartans.
"It was Morgan Klassen's first varsity hit after getting the call up to catch today," Carpenter said," and to do it in the 7th inning in a tie ball game with two outs was a great moment for her and for our group."
Gable had a home run and two RBIs in the win. No Spartan had a mutli-hit game in the nightcap.
G-K sweeps Oregon: Bailey Ullmark struck out 19 in 10 2/3 innings over two games to help Genoa-Kingston weep Oregon 13-4 and 10-5.
Ullmark got the win in the first game, going the distance and striking out 14 and allowing two earned runs. Kelly Hensel had a home run and double in the game.
In Game 2, Ullmark came in to pitch in a one-run game, throwing the last 3 2/3 and striking out five to get the save.
Kendyl Strack was 7 for 10 with a home run and four doubles on the day, while Dani Mathey was 4 for 7.
PREP BASEBALL
Spartans sweep: The Sycamore baseball team swept a doubleheader from Belvidere North on Saturday, winning 12-7 in Game 1 and 6-3 in Game 2.
In the first game, Jordan Wright drove in three runs for the Spartans – who were outhit 12-10 but benefited from five Belvidere North errors.
In the late game, Sycamore scored two in the final three innings for the win. Wright had three hits in the win.
BASEBALL
G-K splits with Oregon: After losing a four-run lead in Game 1 against Oregon, the Genoa-Kingston baseball team rallied to beat Oregon in Game 2.
The Cogs lost 6-5 but then won 13-9 in the Big Northern Conference crossover game.
Andrew Caldwell pitched 6 2/3 innings to take the loss, striking out nine. Caldwell and Brady Huffman each went 2 for 4.
In Game 2, Joe Murray pitched 2 2/3 innings of relief for the win, and went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI. Huffman was 2 for 3 and drove in three, while Matt Cieslica was 2 for 5 with three RBIs.
LATE FRIDAY
PREP TRACK AND FIELD
Kaneland girls second at conference tournament: The Kaneland girls track team took second Friday at the Northern Illinois Big 12 Conference track meet on Friday, despite the long and triple jumps not being held due to weather concerns.
Yorkville won the meet with 123 points. Kaneland finished with 97 and DeKalb was third with 79. Sycamore finished in seventh with 23.
For the Knights, Allie Heinzer won the 200-meter dash in 25.72 and the 400 in 58.94. Heinzer teamed with Carley Elliott, Shanya Hurston and Jamie Martens to win the 400 relay in 49.79, a new meet record. Brianna Bower won the 1,600 in 5.18.87.
Savannah Long captured two first-place finishes for the Barbs in the hurdles, including 46.31 in the 300. DeKalb edged Kaneland by .2 seconds for the win in the 800 relay.
Sycamore's Alyssa Feuerbach won the discus by almost 20 feet against runner-up Cory Mata of DeKalb, clearing 113-07.
Hooker shines at Harlem: Sycamore's Dion Hooker set what would have been state qualifying marks in two events at the Northern Illinois Invitational, hosted by Harlem.
Hooker won the 100-meter dash in 10.82 and the 200 in 22.14. Adam Millburg also picked up a Sycamore win, taking the 1,600 in 4:25.75. Edgar Garcia had a pair of close seconds in the hurdles, finishing in 15.41 in the 110 (.09 off the winner) and 40.51 in the 300 – also a state mark should he hit it in the sectional and just .38 behind the winner.
Hononegah won the meet with 130 points, with Sycamore second with 76.