Barna: Sandburg Plays its Ace in the Hole

Sandburg captured the Southwest Suburban Blue softball title with a win over Lincoln-Way East on Monday. The Eagles added three more wins and took a 23-5 record into the weekend. One of those wins came against a tough New Trier team.

The day before, the Eagles celebrated senior day. And senior shortstop Lizzie Wojtowicz carried the theme over in a 5-0 win over the Trevians. She went 4-for-4 with a pair of singles, a double, and drove in one run. Senior catcher Lexi Bryant went 2-for-3 with a single, a double and two RBIs.

But it was junior Amanda Barna who was the story on the mound. She tossed a two-hit shutout and struck out three. She has worked behind the Eagles' Lora Olson much of the season.

"We were a mistake or two away from blowing this game open," Sandburg coach Jim Fabianski said. "New Trier is always a strong program, and I think our girls came ready to play.

"Amanda (Barna) pitched her way out of two jams. They were in the fourth and seventh innings. She just had the two hits on a swinging bunt and a solid base hit."

"It's awesome to get the opportunity, and I try to take advantage of every one I get," Barna said. "It was a good feeling to get out of those jams. I wasn't striking out a lot of people out, but I had my team behind me."

Eagles Kick Up a Storm

The Sandburg girls soccer team was led by Shannon Stearns' first hat as the Eagles  in a regional semifinal. Marian Catholic advanced, too, but not the easy way. The Spartans ousted Reavis 4-1 in penalty kicks. The match finally ended after the two sides battled through 80 minutes of regulation play and four 10-minute overtimes. 

Sandburg Bats Unleashed

The Sandburg baseball team won two of three games and took a 19-6 record into the weekend. First, Sandburg defeated Homewood-Flossmoor  9-5 on Monday. Unfortunately, the Eagles fell on Tuesday against Joliet Central, 3-0, striking out a total of 10 times. But their bats woke up again on Wednesday, however, when the Eagles defeated Shepard 10-0 in five innings. 

Water Polo Advances to State

The Sandburg boys water polo team grabbed the Lincoln-Way North Sectional championship with a win over Homewood-Flossmoor. The win earned the Eagles a spot in the IHSA state quarterfinals.

Eagles Badminton Team Captures State Title

For the first time, Sandburg's badminton team has won a state trophy. And not just any trophy.

How about the state champonship trophy? The Eagles were led by Katie Wagner, who placed third in singles, and Kara Kentner,  who placed fifth in singles.

The Sandburg doubles team of Carolyn Brown and Rachel Allen placed in the top eight at the state tournament.  In addition, the Eagle doubles team of Alexis Andrews and Vicky Gugala placed in the top 32.  All six girls contributed to Sandburg's team total of 14.5 points.