State Champs: Meath, Chitkowski Bring Home First State Trophy for South Softball

After multiple tries down state, two seniors were able to seal the deal, capturing the final out of the game.

Sitting on an upturned plastic bucket, Glenbard South softball coach Julie Fonda did everything she could to keep from feeling helpless.  As she had done so many times before, Fonda looked on, watching her Raiders’ crawl closer and closer to the state championship crown.    “I’ve been down there what feels like so many times,” Fonda said. “But this team and this game was different.” And if the term ‘due’ applies to anyone, it’s Fonda and the Glenbard South softball team.   The time-tested Raiders had qualified for the state tournament four out of the last five seasons--four trips yet no hardware. “Just sitting there, you really do feel helpless,” Fonda said. “If any team was going to do it, it was this one.”   With Marengo’s tying run in …

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Check Out Photos of Glenbard South's State Title Victory

Glenbard South girls' softball beat out defending state champs 2-1 to take home the title. If you missed the game, browse Patch's photo gallery.

PHOTOS: Raiders Capture 2012 Softball State Title

Glenbard South wins a hard fought game against defending champion Marengo.

Many teams start the season with hopes of winning a state championship. These Raiders started 2012 with one goal: playing on Saturday, June 9, in the biggest game of their lives.  The Raiders made their fourth visit to East Peoria in five years this weekend. After pummeling Mattoon 11-1 in the semi-final game Friday. The team came ready to play Saturday as they faced last year’s 3A champion, Marengo High School. Ultimately, the Raiders came home with a state championship, beating the defending state champs 2-1. For more photos visit Glen Ellyn Patch's Facebook page.  This was a very different game from Friday, as both teams exhibited tough pitching and a stingy defense that shut down many scoring opportunities for both teams.    The …

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Glenbard South Softball Team Heads to State Championship

Girls defeated Mattoon High School Friday in the semi-finals.

The Glenbard South High School girls' softball team will compete for the Class 3A state championship Saturday afternoon.  On Friday, June 8, the girls beat Mattoon High School 11-1 in the semi-finals. Stay tuned to Patch for more updates. Glen Ellyn Patch freelance photographer Steve Jurkovic will be at Saturday's game to capture images of the season's final match-up. 

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Viewfinder: Glenbard South Captures Third Place at State

The Lady Raiders finish the 2011 season with a win.

Patch was able to capture the Lady Raiders finish third at this weekend's state tournament. For a full recap of the game, read the roundup from Mike Sandrolini. 

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Raiders Cap Memorable 2011 Season with Third Place State Trophy

Sophomore Jane Trzaska belts a three-run homer in the sixth inning to lift Glenbard South to an 8-4 victory over Civic Memorial. It's the second time the Raiders have taken third in Class 3A over the past four seasons.

With no outs, Glenbard South trailing 4-3 and teammates Hannah Davey and Jen Wittenberg on third and second base, respectively, Jane Trzaska wanted to at least get Davey home as she dug into the right-handed batter’s box during the sixth inning of the Raiders’ Class 3A third-place game Saturday morning. Coach Julie Fonda had Trzaska lay down a squeeze bunt, but Trzaska fouled off the pitch. With that play now off the table, it was time for Trzaska to swing away. And did she ever. Trzaska, who came into the state tourney with a team-leading .542 average, launched a no-doubt-about-it home run over the left-center field fence that gave the Raiders a 6-4 lead over Civic Memorial High School. Glenbard South added two insurance runs in the …

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Raiders State-Bound After 3-0 Victory

Jen Wittenberg and Danielle Chitkowski come through in the clutch offensively, and Jess Wilkes pitches a three-hitter as Glenbard South stops Elmwood Park in the Judson University supersectional to go downstate.

Third time’s a charm. Senior shortstop Jen Wittenberg, the only member of Glenbard South’s softball team who was part of the Raiders’ state-qualifying teams in 2008 and 2009, is banking that the old saying will hold true for her and the team this weekend. Glenbard South punched its ticket to the Class 3A state tournament in East Peoria on Friday with Monday's 3-0 victory in the Judson University supersectional over Elmwood Park—marking the third time in four years that the Raiders have gone downstate. Wittenberg certainly did her part to put the Raiders in the state tourney. Her clutch base hit in the bottom of the sixth enabled leadoff hitter Brianna Meath (who reached base on a walk) to race home from second with a much-needed insurance …

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