Big inning again favors Lakes
One team was hoping for that big inning, while the other has been trying to avoid it while on defense.
Fortunately for Lakes' softball team, their hopes were answered on a damp and chilly Saturday afternoon when it posted an 11-8 come-from-behind nonconference victory over Grayslake Central.
"We always seem to have a big inning, usually late in the game, where it pulls us through," said Lakes coach Bill Hamill, who saw his club improve to 12-8. "Because of that, our motto has been 'never say die.' We just need to have more consistency of not kicking the ball around and trying to get that one out when we know there's no chance. That leads to mistakes and errors."
Grayslake Central had staked starting pitcher Reagen Radke to an 8-2 lead and was cruising along-until the fifth inning. On this day, that turned out to be the one dreaded inning coach Jason Schaal and the girls have been trying to shake most of the season.
"Its just fundamentals," said the Rams coach who, saw his club slip to 11-11. "We can't give a team five outs in an inning. That led to 5 runs in the fifth today. We're still trying to fix the little things."
The Rams were partially their own worst enemy in what turned out to be that decisive fifth frame, where Lakes grabbed the lead for good at 10-8 after putting an 8-spot on the board. Lakes sent 11 batters to the plate while the Rams had some lapses defensively in committing 3 errors.
With two outs, the bats had come alive as Lakes pushed across those 5 runs Schaal referenced earlier. Leadoff hitter Rachel Becker started the inning off with a single and later added a 2-run double. Ashley Horner was also 2-for-2 in the inning with an RBI double and RBI single. Also coming through with big hits included Lauren Clark (2-run single) and Cassidy Schaar (RBI double).
Then, to put an exclamation point on things, first bagger Molly Dietz sent a fastball over the left-centerfield fence for the Eagles' final run of the contest in the bottom of the sixth.
"That felt good! She just missed her spot, and I took it out," said Dietz, who has smacked 7 homers on the year. "Dingers and stingers, I guess," she added, with stingers referring to what you usually have to withstand on a cold day.
Dietz also said she hasn't forgotten last spring, when Grayslake Central ousted Lakes in the sectional semis, and that the win today helped erase those memories.
Grayslake Central jumped to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first when lead-off hitter Teagan Truskowski doubled and later scored on a Katie Strickland triple. Strickland then plated on a sacrifice by Brandy Heraty.
Lakes answered right back in the bottom of the first with a 2-spot of its own. Karlie Rotunno hit into a fielder's choice and a subsequent throwing error scored both Becker (single) and Schaar (hit by pitch).
The Rams then put another 2 runs on the board in the top of the third when Heraty's RBI single scored Strickland, who reached on an error to lead things off. Heraty then later scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of Maddie Marshall.
Grayslake Central scored a run in the fourth when Emma Eiserman (double) scored on a throwing error. The Rams added their final 3 runs in the top of the fifth to take the 8-2 lead. Juliana Frusolone scored on a sacrifice by Melissa Obis, and Eiserman capped a 2-for-2 day with a 2-run single that plated Marshall (single) and Morgan Smigielski (fielder's choice).
Aside from the fifth inning, Radke, who is coming off of a recent concussion, pitched well in a losing effort but fell to 7-6. She scattered 9 hits while fanning four.
Lakes winning pitcher Ally Perdue went the distance to improve to 7-5 on the season. She fanned two while walking only two, and at the plate she reached base three times.
Both teams have big rivalry games on Monday, with Grayslake Central entertaining Grayslake North and Lakes traveling a couple of miles up the road to tangle with Antioch.