Auburn, North Boone secure first postseason softball titles in program history, and want more

Led by senior pitcher Ally Lowery, Auburn won its first regional title in softball on Saturday, pounding out an 8-4 win over Hampshire.

And the Knights danced on the diamond when it was all done.

More area softball: Cami Carter and North Boone stroll into softball program's first sectional championship

"There was a huge celebration after this one," Auburn head coach Jessica Palos said. "They worked really hard for this, so they deserved a little celebrating."

And on the same day, and also led by its star senior pitcher, Cami Carter, North Boone hauled in its first ever sectional championship, holding on for a 2-0 win in a pitcher's duel.

"It's hard to explain how excited they were to get this one, it's all kind of a blur," North Boone head coach Tim Fleming said. "But this is one special team, and this one means a lot to a lot of people."

Hononegah knocked off Harlem 10-2 in another Class 4A regional final later in the day, keeping another meeting with Auburn in the cards. It could come with a sectional title on the line next Friday. Auburn first will have to face Huntley at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in Barrington in the sectional semis, while Hononegah will take on Barrington in the other semi at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

"After this one I was clean and simple: I told them 'I'm proud of you, now let's go see how far we can get,'" Hononegah head coach Dennis McKinney said after his team won its second regional title in the past three years. "Our kids are ready to compete."

Dakota lost 7-3 to East Dubuque to bow out of the 1A sectionals, and Belvidere North was eliminated with a 5-0 loss to Sterling in the 3A regionals in other area softball action on Saturday.

Auburn jumps out

Auburn jumped out to a 4-0 lead and held on en route to its first regional title, and Lowery, the senior on the mound, went the distance for the win.

"Ally has just been a force for this program for four years," Palos said. "And today, she just induced a ton of groundouts and pop-ups, and did her job all day. The defense showed up around her, too."

In big back-to-back defensive plays, shortstop Jayden Moss made a diving catch to save at least one run and then Lowery snatched a line drive off her face to close out the bottom of the third, and again save runs.

Anna Viel went 2-for-2 with three runs scored, three walks, a double and a stolen base, and Eva Ostergard went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a stolen base.

More area softball: Hononegah clinches third straight NIC-10 softball title, carrying momentum toward playoffs

Auburn (18-13) also set a new school record with 18 wins. The Knights had just two other winning records in softball since 1979, but one of them was last year as this program takes a big leap forward in the Palos era.

"And they can get more," Palos said. "They were already talking about how we can beat Huntley this time before they even left the dugout."

Auburn fell 6-3 to Huntley in the season opener back on March 11. Huntley (28-9) has won its first two postseason games by a combined 29-1 score.

North Boone goes deep

North Boone's Carter gave up just three hits and one walk, and earned the shutout. And North Boone got only two hits itself, but they were both solo home runs that decided the game.

"I guess we only needed those two hits," Fleming said. "They were big ones."

While Carter mowed down North Boone's opponents, Dani Goodman blasted one homer (a shot to left in the bottom of the fourth) and Lauren Stefek the other (a blast to right field) to give the Vikings double what they needed.

North Boone will now take on Elmhurst Immaculate Conception (28-5) at Benedictine University at 11 a.m. Monday in the super-sectionals. A win there would vault them into the 2A state tournament, which would begin Friday in Peoria.

Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @JayTaft . Sign up for the Rockford High School Sports Newsletter here at rrstar.com . Jay has covered a variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks to local youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star .

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Auburn, North Boone secure first postseason softball titles in program history, and want more