Softball: Batavia sweeps Geneva
If only every game was a rivalry game for the Batavia softball team.
The Bulldogs' two best games this year might have both come against Geneva. The Vikings were coming off a big win over St. Charles North last week, but for the second straight time they didn't have an answer for Batavia.
Jaelin Lisberg smashed a 3-run double in the second inning, giving Rachael Lovestrand an early 5-run cushion. Lovestrand did the rest, holding Geneva to 5 hits in a 7-3 Batavia victory.
"We just think we play really good against Geneva because it's our rival and we haven't beat them twice in a long time," Lovestrand said. "We played really good. They are a good-hitting team but we just pulled our defense together and pulled out a win."
Batavia (16-11, 9-5) and Geneva (19-7, 9-5) are now tied in the Upstate Eight Conference River Division.
The Bulldogs capitalized on 5 Geneva errors including one to start the second inning. After a walk, Geneva dropped a long fly ball to allow the first run to score.
Another walk loaded the bases, and Toni Galas dropped an RBI single into left field for a 2-0 lead, leaving the bases loaded for Lisberg.
The sophomore took an offering from Alissa Dierks and hammered it into the right-field gap, clearing the bases.
"I just wanted to get a big hit and help my team out," Lisberg said. "We worked together as a team and put the bat on the ball and it was just a really good game. When it's Geneva week we just get so excited."
Katelyn Keller's sacrifice fly got Geneva on the board in the third. Batavia added to its lead in the fourth, a rally started by Galas' infield single and stolen base. Lovestrand doubled her in, and Jena Bendoraitis made it a 7-1 game with a line single to left.
"We dug ourselves a hole," Geneva coach Greg Dierks said. "We didn't get much of anything going offensively. We did not have the spark we needed to on either side of the ball. Just a drubbing I'd say."
The Vikings scored twice in the sixth on doubles by Kate Geary and Annika Radabaugh and a Batavia error before Lovestrand slammed the door. She finished with 5 strikeouts and no walks, improving to 3-4.
"Rachael did an awesome job," Batavia coach Lupe Castellanos said. "She moved it in and out. She did a nice job of mixing it up, hitting her spots, keeping them honest."
Galas led Batavia's 8-hit attack going 3-for-4, and Lisberg and Lovestrand both delivered 2 hits.
Alissa Dierks had 2 hits for a Geneva team searching for consistency.
"It doesn't look like the same team some days," Greg Dierks said. "They made us pay for the mistakes we made. We set the table for them in the second inning."