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Chicago Tribune
a day 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
28-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Loyola recruit Abby Sudkamp calmly scores goal to lead Lincoln-Way Central past Andrew. ‘That's just how I am.'
Lincoln-Way Central's Abby Sudkamp started playing soccer when she was 3. Erase those immediate thoughts of Sudkamp being a child prodigy as an athlete, however, because she was an emotional wreck every single time that she stepped onto the field. 'My parents got me into the sport and tell me about how much I hated it,' she said. 'I cried when I played. I cried during practice and I cried during games. I was a bad kid.' Now? The Loyola-bound senior defender loves everything about playing soccer. And when it comes to showing emotion on the field, she's like a poker player, according to teammate Jules Rafacz. 'She's aggressive, but she's also calm,' Rafacz said of Sudkamp. 'She's one of the calmest players on the ball. I think it's so great.' Sudkamp came through with a great finish Thursday night, calmly depositing a penalty kick into the right side of the net with 5:05 left to put the Knights ahead to stay in a 2-1 victory over Andrew in the Windy City Ram Classic championship game at Reavis in Burbank. Rafacz scored with 19:38 remaining to create a 1-1 tie for Lincoln-Way Central (5-0), which gained a measure of revenge after the Thunderbolts topped the Knights 2-0 last season in the sectional. Andrew (4-1) grabbed a 1-0 lead on a goal by Emily Crotty with 24:14 left in the first half. Oak Park-River Forest took third place in the 32-team tournament with a 2-1 win over De La Salle. At this stage of her career, Sudkamp said the crying episodes are long gone. She's been calm ever since and finds a low-key demeanor suits her well, even in a sport that thrives on emotion. 'I like to keep my composure on the field,' Sudkamp said. 'I definitely think that's one of my better qualities. That's just how I am. I try to keep myself calm and confident the entire game.' Lincoln-Way Central coach Sean Fahey, who said Sudkamp is a great defender, hopes she can mix in a little more offense moving forward. 'Abby is an absolute monster,' Fahey said. 'She's an incredible athlete and a great competitor. She's a leader and a great teammate, and I think this game was the first game we saw her step into a different role in the attack. 'For her to help shut down that Andrew front line is no easy task. She deserves to score the game-winner like that. She does so much dirty work on defense that it was good to see her score.' Off the field, Sudkamp had a roller-coaster ride with her college choice. She verbally committed to Loyola in January 2024. And like she does on the field, she kept her cool. Sudkamp was recruited by coach Barry Bimbi, who was fired in July, even though the previous January he inked a contract extension through the 2027 season. The Ramblers named Angela Staveskie as interim coach during the fall. Jon Sandoval got the job in December. While all of that drama was playing out, Sudkamp didn't waver on her decision. She waited to see what would happen and then met with the new coach. 'It was devastating because I had a good connection with him,' Sudkamp said of Bimbi. 'But there was nothing I can do about it. 'The new coach is younger, so he's not going anywhere any time soon. He started a life in Chicago, and I see a lot of positive things coming out of that.' In the same way, Sudkamp has done a complete 180 on soccer. The sport that once made her cry makes her happy. She describes soccer as being 'artistic.' 'People have their own way of expressing their skill in the field with the way that they play,' Sudkamp said. 'It's the same thing as being an artist. You have a painting canvas. 'And this is my painting canvas.' Originally Published:
