Softball: Dundee-Crown downs Grayslake Central
One look at the Dundee-Crown softball roster and there is a glaring omission - not a single senior is listed. It was hard to tell that on Wednesday because the Chargers were playing with poise and maturity well beyond their years.
In fact when the going got a little tough D-C (5-6, 2-1) didn't fold under the pressure like a young might be expected to do, but instead dug down a little deeper to pull out a 7-2 win over visiting Grayslake Lake Central in a Fox Valley Conference contest.
"I just continue to be impressed with their performance and their love for the game," D-C coach Tracy Beatty said. "It's amazing how much they continue to grow. One of the main things with a young team like this is to have them maintain focus throughout the game and they are getting better and better at that."
The Chargers took advantage of 3 errors and 3 walks by the Rams in the first inning to jump out to a 3-0 lead without the benefit of a hit. However, the Rams started to put the heat on in the 4th inning when Breanna Albert drove in a pair of runs on a line single to left to pull GC to within 3-2.
The Rams were threatening again off D-C starting pitcher Madison Pautz in the fifth inning with a runner on second and just one out, but sophomore Sydney Ruggles came on in relief to shut the door with a strikeout and groundout. Ruggles went on to retire the final 6 batters of the game, including 3 more strikeouts, to pick up the save while Pautz got the win.
"Both pitchers did a real nice job," Beatty said. "They have different styles, so it's a good combination. Ruggles started for us the last two days, so we wanted to start Maddie. She did a good job of throwing strikes and keeping them off balance, but once they started sizing her up we brought in Ruggles, who throws harder. It worked out well for us."
Ruggles also contributed at the plate with an RBI double to start a 4-run fifth inning for the Chargers. Ruggles also had a double in the sixth inning.
"I didn't do very good at the plate last game," Ruggles said. "So, I wanted to come back strong with a lot of confidence. It's kind of good to have a young team like this because we get a chance to build and get better together.'
Kayla Sjodin added an RBI triple in the fifth-inning rally. Hannah Gestrich followed with an RBI single. Megan Emerson closed out the scoring with an RBI double.
Reagan Radke took the loss for the Rams (5-4). She allowed all 7 runs, only 3 earned, in 5⅓ innings.
"That first inning was a little uncharacteristic for us," Rams coach Jason Schaal said. "We usually come ready to play, but that's part of the game. We started to battle back and actually hit the ball well. But give (D-C) credit - they made some plays. They are playing good ball and should have a good season. We just need to get back to practice and fix up a few things."