Huntley executes small ball to perfection, beats Grant for 10th straight regional championship

McHENRY – Anyone who follows Huntley knows that the Red Raiders pride themselves on their ability to play small ball and manufacture runs.

So when the Red Raiders broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning during Friday’s Class 4A McHenry Regional title game against Grant – by scoring three runs without a hit – it came as a surprise to almost no one.

“That’s just what we do,” said Huntley coach Mark Petryniec, whose Raiders went on to win 4-2. “I don’t care how many hits we have. I care about what our on-base percentage is.”

The No. 2 seed Red Raiders (24-12) took that mantra to heart when cleanup hitter Aubrina Adamik led off the bottom of the sixth by drawing a walk.

That was followed by an Ava McFadden sacrifice bunt and an Adamik stolen base. Third baseman Grace Benson reached first on an error, advancing Adamik to third. Benson, then, stole second, too.

Consecutive wild pitches scored Adamik and Benson, giving Huntley a 3-1 lead.

Then right fielder Lana Hobday walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch and stole third. Moments later, she made it 4-1 when she scored on a wild pitch.

Incredibly, the Red Raiders scored all three of their runs in the sixth without a ball even leaving the infield.

It was the difference in Huntley’s 4-2 victory, which marked their milestone tenth consecutive regional championship. Huntley advances to play DeKalb in a Barrington Sectional semifinal at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Red Raiders senior first baseman Isabella Boskey sealed the win with a spectacular diving catch in foul territory near her dugout to end the game.

At the time, No. 3 seed Grant (15-16-1) had the potential tying run at the plate, thanks to Bulldogs shortstop Sophie Connealy’s one-out sacrifice fly one batter prior, and third baseman Whisper Hunt’s single earlier in the top of the seventh.

After face-planting into the artificial turf to make the grab, Boskey leaped to her feet with the ball in her mitt, let out a massive shout of joy, then was mobbed by her teammates.

“Catching that ball was an incredible feeling,” Boskey said. “Because I know [Huntley starting pitcher] Gretchen [Huber] is giving everything she can out there. There was a play to be made, and I got to give it my all.”

Huber was outstanding, allowing just five hits, all singles. Two of those didn’t leave the infield. She struck out four, while issuing one walk, and got tremendous late movement on many of her fastballs.

“Every postseason is unique,” Huber said. “My philosophy was throw strikes. My defense was playing amazing behind me. I just wanted to keep us in the game. I knew we would find a way to win.”

Grant briefly held a 1-0 lead when Brianne Lopez ripped an RBI liner off Huber’s glove with two outs in the top of the 3rd.

But Huntley countered with a game-tying run in the bottom of the fourth, when Benson executed a flawless squeeze bunt that skipped between the pitcher and first baseman, which forced Grant second baseman Ella Malak to field it, leaving no play at the plate or at first.

Benson even took an extra base on the play when no one was covering second. It was symbolic of Grant’s few but costly minor mental miscues, which were the difference in the game.

“I knew we’d have to play a clean, almost flawless game defensively to have a chance to win,” Grant coach Chris VanAlstine said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t do that, and it cost us the game.

“That’s what the summer is for, and these girls are going to work hard and keep getting better. But we’re going to really miss our six departing seniors. Life is about facing adversity, learning from it, and adapting. We learned a real life lesson today as a team.”

The other thing fans learned was how good Grant starting pitcher McKenzie Zamora is.

Zamora, a junior who doesn’t have any scholarship offers but is seeking one, only allowed Huntley hits in one inning: the third.

Two of Huntley’s base hits were bunts, and Zamora was pounding the upper part of the strike zone relentlessly, including during a 13-pitch battle she eventually won against Lyla Ginczycki (1 for 3) in the fifth.

It’s hard to argue that Zamora didn’t deserve a better outcome.

“I definitely gave it my all,” Zamora said. “In the moment, I wasn’t thinking about how this could be the end of our season. I was just locked in, one pitch at a time, trying to throw strikes.

“Even when we made mistakes, we made them as a team and picked each other up afterward. It’s a tough way for our season to end, but I’m proud of my teammates. All of them.”