Softball: Geneva rallies past Metea Valley
With its season on the line Thursday in the Class 4A Geneva regional semifinals, Rachel Fanella kept finding herself at the plate in the most pressure-packed situations.
That's just the way the Vikings like it.
Fanella came through with the go-ahead single in the bottom of the fifth, then broke the game open with a 2-run single in the sixth leading Geneva to a 7-1 win.
The fifth-seeded Vikings (24-10) will play No. 4 Downers Grove North for the regional championship at 11 a.m. Saturday.
"I'm pretty good at playing under pressure since I pitch a lot," Fanella said. "I just do it for my team and know I have to make those clutch hits."
Fanella also pitched the first 4 2/3 innings, leaving with a 1-0 deficit to Emily Plocinski. The two held the Mustangs to 7 hits while Geneva played error-free defense behind them.
"We did a great job defensively today," Fanella said. "We did everything right and didn't play timid or scared."
"Rachel has been clutch for us all year," Geneva coach Greg Dierks said. "She had two big hits. I thought we got a little better each time through the order as we batted."
Kate Geary started the winning rally against Elise Titiner with a long at-bat that ended with one of her three walks. Annika Radabaugh singled to put runners at second and third.
The Vikings tied the game when the Mustangs threw home late on Molly Wrenn's slow roller to first.
Fanella followed with what proved to be the game-winner, a liner to center that plated two when the throw got past the catcher.
The Vikings scored four insurance runs in the sixth. Katie Keller opened the inning with a double to deep left, and Fanella and Ali Dierks provided the big blows with 2-run hits.
Metea Valley (15-16) scored its only run in the fourth on a run-scoring single to right by Kara Leckinger after she just missed hitting a home run down the left-field line.
Leckinger drove in Emily Finger who led off the inning with a double.
Geneva got itself out of trouble early by turning three double plays in the first four innings.
"I thought our defense was great today and our pitchers did a nice job too," Greg Dierks said.
Leckinger led the Mustangs going 3-for-3.
"Defensively we didn't make the plays we needed to make," Wildcats coach Kris Kalivas said. "On the flip side of that offensively we should have scored more often and earlier. We had the runners on. We had been hitting the ball great. Unfortunately today wasn't one of our best performances."