Softball: Bajusz sisters combine again to defeat Naperville North
Rissa Bajusz has long looked up to her sister Sydney, but this spring has been extra special with her older sibling on the same softball diamond as her at Metea Valley.
The sisters were back at it on Wednesday as Rissa, a freshman, picked up the win, and Sydney, a senior, got the job done both at the plate and in center field. The Mustangs stayed atop the DuPage Valley Conference standings with a 9-5 defeat of Naperville North.
Rissa Bajusz went the distance in the circle to pick up her second DVC win in two days, and the Mustangs improved to 14-8 this spring and 8-2 in the conference. She was supported by some timely hits and solid defense, much of which came from her sister, who belted a 2-run homer in a 5-run second inning. Sydney Bajusz went 3-for-4, scored three times and also chased down a trio of flyouts over the final two innings as Metea Valley survived a late Huskies' rally that saw the visitors close to within 6-5 in the sixth inning.
"She has always had my back, off the field and on the field," Rissa said of her sister, whose deep blast over the center-field wall helped stake the Mustangs to a 5-1 lead in the second. "I know if I give up some runs I can't get too down. I know they will fight back and score (more runs) just like today."
The Mustangs hurler struck out the side in the top of the first but not before Naperville North third baseman Maddie Vassar lined a home run off and over the top of wall in center field. Vassar was a bright spot for the Huskies, going 3-for-3 with an intentional walk and making some impressive plays in the field.
When Vassar's bases - loaded fly to right in the sixth dropped safely, two runs scored to make it a 6-5, and only a close play at the plate that retired a sliding Janelle Honaker kept the visitors from pulling even.
In the fifth the Huskies scored a run to make it a 6-3 game before Rissa Bajusz slipped out of a bases-loaded, no-out situation without further damage.
"Walks hurts us today, but our kids keep continuing to battle," Naperville North coach Jerry Kedziora said. "Sooner or later it's all going to come together for us."
Even while dropping to 5-14 overall and 2-7 in the DVC, Kedziora was again impressed by the play of a Vassar, a senior who knocked out her first homer since freshman year.
"She's been amazing for us," he said of the No. 3 hitter. "What a great player out there, and she's fun to watch at third base."
For the Mustangs, the bottom of the order was just as important as Sydney Bajusz was at the top. In the 5-run second Sam Golminas kept the inning alive with an 8-pitch walk and No. 9 hitter Megan Archey followed with a 2-run double that set the stage for Sydney Bajusz's 2-run blast. When Moira Danko followed with a single and then Emily Wilson delivered a triple, Metea Valley had scored 5 runs, all after two outs.
Wilson, a recent call-up from the junior varsity, provided a boost with a single, triple, deep RBI sacrifice fly and a walk. All told the Mustangs, who play Naperville Central Thursday in a key DVC matchup, had 8 hits and 9 walks in the win.