WW South gets it done against Neuqua Valley
A young Wheaton Warrenville South team looking to grow a little may have done just that Monday afternoon at Neuqua Valley.
The visiting Tigers - with three sophomores starting in the infield - played a solid game backed by senior pitcher Sydne Shattuck while knocking off the Wildcats 6-2. Host Neuqua Valley (7-9, 3-1) had entered the game 3-0 in the DuPage Valley Conference before falling to the Tigers (7-4, 2-1).
Sophomore Kaitlyn Bresingham singled home the first run of the game in the first inning and finished the contest 3-for-4. Shattuck also had 3 hits but was even better in the circle, going the distance and allowing just single runs in the first and sixth innings.
"I think our entire lineup top to bottom can come through," said Bresingham, noting Monday's balanced attack followed up much of the same in a Saturday doubleheader sweep of Glenbard West. "On Saturday and again today it seems like everyone came through. Syd pitched great, and then those insurance runs are huge and it was good to see us get those today."
The Wildcats opened the bottom of the first inning with singles from Mikaela Domico and Gina Rivera. Domico came around to score on a grounder by Paige Price, but following those two hits, Shattuck retired 15 of the next batters on her way to a 4-hitter and her fifth win this spring.
"We're just so young. This is a big win," said Tigers coach Jeff Pawlak, who will be back in DVC action Tuesday in a makeup game with Glenbard North. "We have two returning starters and three sophomores start in the infield. That win builds confidence and they need it."
Shaye Arwood singled in the second and scored on an RBI grounder by Madison Marcheschi for a 2-1 Wheaton Warrenville South lead, and the visitors added two more runs in the fourth and two more in the seventh. No. 9 hitter Jordan Schnack was 2-for-3 with a walk, including a run-scoring triple to the gap in right center in the fourth as the Tigers built a 4-1 lead.
"I felt like our whole team really stepped it up at the plate today," Schnack said. "We worked hard and we had some timely hits. Syd pitched great and we were able to add on. Anything to help Syd out. It was nice to build that confidence."
Neuqua Valley starter Zoe Herdman pitched five steady innings but dropped to 1-1 on the year after allowing 4 runs and 12 of the Tigers' 15 hits. Domico scored both of her team's runs and Rivera had a pair of hits, but Shattuck didn't allow much more to the Wildcats hitters.
"We were hitting right to them," Neuqua Valley coach Christina Frontera said. "When we hit it right to them they're going to make the defensive play. Our momentum wasn't there. It just wasn't there today.
"It was a great start (in DVC) and we had good momentum coming into this game. I have the most confidence in our hitting this year. It's just that the momentum was not there at the get-go today and that's what hurt us."