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Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Defense delivers as Makayla Van Dinther pitches St. Charles East to shutout of South Elgin. ‘Stressful situations.'
Catch her if you can, but it isn't easy. Makayla Van Dinther may not be an intimidating physical presence in the circle for St. Charles East, but the junior right-hander has been pure magic during an impressive postseason run. it has the surprising Saints one win away from the state finals and a trip to Peoria. 'I knew we were going to be a tough out,' St. Charles East coach Jarod Gutesha said. 'With 15 losses, everybody is ranked above us, but I knew our lineup was going to be tough. 'With our schedule, we've experienced disappointment with a stretch of one and two-run losses, but you learn from those disappointments.' Van Dinther proved that point again Friday in the Class 4A Palatine Fremd Sectional championship game, completing a six-hit shutout for the Saints in a 5-0 victory over South Elgin. The fifth-seeded Storm (29-5) appeared to have her on the ropes multiple times, but she escaped trouble that included back-to-back bases-loaded jams in the third and fourth innings. Van Dinther (13-9) struck out five and walked just one in winning for the third time in four playoff games to go with a save for the sixth-seeded Saints (23-15), who will play at 6 p.m. Monday in the Barrington Supersectional against the host Fillies (33-3-1), a 2-0 winner over Huntley. Afterward, Van Dinther passed some of that credit to junior catcher Hayden Sujack. 'Those jams were stressful situations,' Van Dinther said. 'But my catcher and I talked, and we located some counts because it was a tight strike zone. I just trusted my defense.' Senior third baseman Holly Smith provided some stellar defense in the third inning, charging a grounder on the line, scooping the ball up and flipping it to Sujack out of her glove all in one motion for the third out on a force play at the plate. And second baseman Alyse Price almost saw it coming. 'Makayla threw a great pitch,' Smith said. 'It was a weak contact. It might have rolled foul, but I was ahead of the runner so I tried the glove flip and Hayden made a nice stretch. 'It's funny. Alyse Price and I were just talking about glove flipping before the game and it comes up. First time I've ever used it at third base.' Van Dinther, who bailed herself out the next inning by retiring a batter on a comeback grounder with the bases loaded and two out, appreciated the Smith-Sujack connection. 'Amazing play,' said Van Dinther, who also praised a catch by senior left fielder Eden Corcoran. 'That kind of saved my butt there. We played good all-around. Our outfield did a great job. 'Eden made an amazing catch to save another run that was great to see.' Van Dinther ended up stranding nine runners. South Elgin's defensive struggles made it tough on Loyola-bound senior left-hander Anna Kiel, who started in the circle for a second straight day but was lifted after three innings trailing 2-0. Sparked by Sujack's double, St. Charles East took advantage of three errors to score twice in the first inning. The Storm made seven errors, allowing the Saints to add a run in the sixth and two in the seventh. Junior right fielder Lexi Majkszak added two hits and two RBIs for St. Charles East, while sophomore center fielder Morgan Beers went 4-for-4. 'Definitely my first four-hit game,' Beers said. 'We had to get the job done, and as long as I had good energy, I was really confident at the plate.' At the same time, Gutesha has faith in Beers. 'She puts the bat on the ball consistently and she's got wheels,' he said. 'Speed don't slump.' Beers drove in the fourth run and also scored the fifth to support Van Dinther. 'Even when she was in those jams, she was still throwing well,' Gutesha said of Van Dinther. 'She was still hitting her spots, and it wasn't like they were barreling it up and hitting gaps, gaps, gaps. 'She was doing her thing.'
Chicago Tribune
31-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Libertyville's Sydney Dulak learns ‘it's so much easier playing free.' She makes it difficult for Fremd.
Libertyville senior forward Sydney Dulak is winning the mental game this season. Dulak said that wasn't the case last year, when she struggled to handle self-imposed pressure after committing to Saint Louis. 'Last year, I was in my head a lot,' she said. 'Just myself, I needed to be good. When I set super high standards, I don't take it too well, especially last year.' But Dulak has been a different player throughout the Wildcats' run to the North Suburban Conference title and the Class 3A Fremd Sectional championship game this season, and that continued Friday night. Dulak scored twice in the first half as top-seeded Libertyville beat second-seeded Fremd 2-1 in Palatine to win the sectional title. Dulak also scored a goal against Glenbrook South in the sectional semifinal and has 13 goals and 11 assists for the Wildcats (18-1-3), who reversed a 2-1 loss to Fremd (13-6-4) in the 2024 sectional final to advance to the Barrington Supersectional at 6 p.m. Tuesday. 'When you get into these games, you have to let go,' Dulak said. 'It's so much easier playing free, like a weight off of my shoulders. It's fun again.' Calling Dulak an 'incredible player,' Libertyville coach Ian Taylor said switching her from center midfielder to the wing has made a difference too. 'It was a really positive change for her,' Taylor said. 'I think she has a little more freedom now to play her game, and she gained more confidence throughout the game, taking players on 1v1s. When she gets a chance in a game, she doesn't miss.' Taylor said Dulak can play any position on the field, though. 'She has another gear that you don't see until she puts on the burners,' Taylor said. 'She's really smart with the ball and has a great delivery with both feet. She's a really technical and dynamic player.' Libertyville senior defender Anna George said Dulak can affect the game in a number of ways. 'Sydney is so composed under pressure, and she knows what to do with the ball all the time,' George said. 'She takes her chances whenever she has them. 'She's a good goal scorer but also assists very well. She knows where everyone is on the field and can set everyone up on the field as well.' Dulak said she intends to follow in her parents' footsteps and become a physical therapist. She even likes to practice on teammates. 'I know what to do because of my parents, like icing and elevating, taking care of your body and taking the rest days,' she said. 'We have a couple of people who are injured on our team. 'We just had one of our starters, Tess McGormley, injure her ankle recently, and she wanted to get back in the next day. So I told her, 'You've got to take a break and ice.' She iced it and is now ready to play the next game.' So is Dulak. 'I feel last year it wasn't that fun,' she said. 'I was in my head and put so much pressure on myself. This year, I love my team and love it so much.'
