Softball: Wheaton North rallies to nip WW South
The wind was blowing out at the Wheaton North softball field on Monday. It was a perfect opportunity for a good hitting team to rack up some runs.
Both Wheaton Warrenville South and the Falcons took advantage of it. However, Wheaton North took advantage of it in the game's second half, scoring 9 runs in the final three innings to overcome a 9-2 deficit and win 11-10.
It was the DuPage Valley Conference opener for both teams.
"We did not put our heads down when we were trailing. There was not one sign of defeat in the dugout," Falcons junior Alleigha Burau, whose single to right in the seventh scored the winning run.
It was the first game for either team in more than a week because of the weather, and the contest had been moved to Wheaton North due to the condition of the Tigers' home field. The Falcons were the visiting team. The victors (4-10) racked up 12 hits and the Tigers 15.
Wheaton North trailed 9-3 after five innings when the comeback began. The Falcons scored four runs on five hits in the sixth with an RBI single by Lucy Gerry and an RBI double by Maggie Will being the key hits. Then came the seventh. Tess May and Sarah Gorzak reached on fielding errors and Allison Krull walked. That set the stage for Gerry, who deposited a 1-0 pitch into center field, clearing the bases for her fourth hit of the day.
"It was definitely the right pitch. I wasn't really thinking. I was just in the mindset of wanting to help the team out," Gerry said.
Burau followed her with her third hit and Gerry touched home plate to put Wheaton North ahead 11-10.
The Tigers (2-2) had one last rally in their half of the seventh. With one out Maya Keating belted her fourth hit of the day, a double to right, and Madison Marcheschi reached on a fielding error. But winning pitcher Gorzak got the next two hitters to fly out to end the game.
"I told the girls halfway through the game that this was a defining moment of the season," said Falcons coach Danielle Soraghan. "We could roll over and die or fight until the end, and the girls came up big."
WW South came out swinging right at the start, tagging the Falcons for five runs on seven hits in the second, which included a home run by Michelle Bresingham and RBI basehits from Keating, Marcheschi and Maddie Trost.
The Tigers scored four more runs in the fourth. Keating led off with an infield hit, Marcheschi reached on a fielding error and Trost walked. Sydne Shattuck then crushed a grand slam to make it 9-2.
It was the first outdoor game of the season for WW South, with the Tigers' previous contests played at the Rosemont Dome.
"We hit well and that's a positive. I thought Maddie pitched pretty good, but we didn't help her with our errors," said WW South coach Jeff Pawlak.
Many conference games remain, but the Falcons savored a memorable start to league play.
"It's an awesome start to conference," Gerry said. "We're going home happy."