Montini came up short in Monday's Class 2A Benedictine Supersectional, as Beecher freshman phenom Ava Lorenzatti struck out 14 in a 4-0 one-hitter, but the Lady Broncos' three-year run of three sectional finals and two sectional titles 'is something to seriously be proud of.'

St. Francis scored four times after two were out in the top of sixth inning to break a 1-1 tie and eliminate the host Raiders 5-1.

Behind a mammoth three-run homer by Madison Peck, York continued its late-season surge with a 5-3 victory over the host Trojans to capture the Downers Grove North Class 4A Regional title.

Brooke Kuczynski went 3-for-3 with a homer and four RBI as Montini softball rolled into a sectional final, Maddie Pool struck out 11 in a three-hit shutout for Wheaton Warrenville South in its regional win, and Wheaton North and Downers Grove South softball also won big.

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Here are Gary Duncan's photos from Thursday's softball game between the Downers Grove North and Downers Grove South.

Downers Grove North's Ava Gusel picked up the win Thursday in the 2023 edition of the Crosstown Classic under the lights at McCollum Park, striking out three in a 12-8 victory over crosstown rival Downers Grove South.

South Carolina recruit Sage Mardjetko struck out 15 batters – including her 750th career strikeout – in a three-hit shutout to lead Lemont past Beecher 3-0 in a matchup of state-ranked teams.

When AJ Dwyer steps to the plate, there is a decent chance the IC Catholic junior could hit the ball very far. Dwyer and Kayla Carrillo are in the middle of a potent lineup for the 17-2 Knights. That, plus Lemont hosts Beecher in showdown of ranked teams in softball notes.

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Wheaton North hosted St. Charles North in varsity softball on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.