Richards Granted a Rare Opportunity to Shine Under Pro Softball Lights

On Friday the 13th, the lights will go down and the stars will come out.

If you're lucky, you'll be there for a high school softball showcase event at The Ballpark in Rosemont, home of the Chicago Bandits.

Richards will face Marengo, the defending IHSA Class 3A state champ, at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 13, at The Ballpark in Rosemont in the first of the Bandits' "Friday Night Lights" series events sponsored by Worth Fastpitch.

Six of the state's finest players will be pitted against each other in the matchup: Richards' Brianna LeBeau and Hannah Jenkins vs. Marengo's Lindsay Melson, Stephanie Cartwright, Reed Karsten and Megan Semro.

LeBeau, the Bulldogs' ace pitcher, is the reigning Gatorade Player of the Year in Illinois. She will attend Northwestern. Jenkins, a slick-fielding shorstop, is headed to Loyola. Margengo's Melson picked UIC. Karsten will play at Winona State. She recently was named to the IHSA Super 60 All-Star team.

"This is an amazing opportunity for our team," Richards coach Julie Folliard said in a news release. "We are so appreciative towards the Chicago Bandits for allowing us the opportunity to play a top-level team in one of the premier stadiums in the world.

"Playing this game at The Ballpark at Rosemont certainly heightens the whole atmosphere. I know the girls will be remember this for a long time and hopefully one day we will get to see them back here playing professional softball."

Marengo will take on Glenbard South in the second game of the series on Friday, April 27.

Stadium Address: 27 Jennie Finch Way (Bryn Mawr and Pearl Street, Rosemont, IL, 60018).