Softball: Downers Grove South knocks out Downers Grove North
Downers Grove South, the top seed in the Class 4A Plainfield East softball sectional, scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth Thursday and held on to beat cross-town rival Downers Grove North 4-2 in a sectional semifinal.
The Mustangs (33-3) return to Plainfield East at 11 a.m. Saturday for the sectional title game against 10th-seeded Bolingbrook. The Raiders beat Oswego East 5-3 in the first semifinal Thursday. The semifinals had been delayed two days because of rain.
"Every year that I have been here, I look at the playoff bracket when it is released and see where we are and where they are," said Downers Grove North coach Eric Landschoot whose team was a fourth seed and had just five losses going into Thursday. "They are always close and exciting games. There's a lot of good players on the field. There's a lot of future college players on the field."
The Trojans took the lead first in their half of the third. Renee Bielawa, the team's No. 9 hitter, put the ball in the right-field corner for a triple. The next batter, leadoff hitter Katie Polaski, singled to right, bringing Bielawa home.
Downers South responded quickly in its half of the inning. With one out winning pitcher Caroline Hedgcock took a 1-1 pitch about 10 feet past the center-field fence for her 21st home run of the season.
The Trojans got right back to work in the fourth. Rebecca Bluder started things off with a single to right and moved to second on Randi McKay's sacrifice bunt. She headed to third on Kristen Bialek's groundball out. Then Kristin Lea made good on an opposite-field single, scoring Bluder. Hedgcock's double to right scored Lea.
Amanda Ray, running for Hedgcock, scored the third and final run of the inning on a dropped flyball.
"We're down 1-0 and we answered them pretty well. I thought Caroline pitched a really good game," said Downers South coach Ron Havelka. "The wind was tricky. The ball was carrying to right, right center."
Hedgcock went the distance for the win, allowing 7 hits and striking out 10, including striking out the side in the fourth. She escaped uninjured at the game's start when a ball Polaski's bat hit her, allowing Polaski to reach on an infield hit.
"Every time we play them, (the Trojans) come amped. They played good today," she said. "I really wanted to hit the ball hard (when she batted in the third). The whole team was pumped."
Before Hedgcock's homer, the Trojans had just had one hit. After it they racked up six more.
"When someone feels good, everyone feels good and you start to play better," said Lea, whose RBI single to left in the fourth drove in what turned out to be the winning run.
Downers North cut the lead to 2 in the top of the seventh when with one out, Bielawa walked and reached third on the same play thanks to a rare Downers South defensive miscue. Bielawa scored on Polaski's basehit.