Softball: Neuqua Valley bats around against Waubonsie Valley
Just what the doctor ordered, and then some.
Neuqua Valley took to the softball diamond on a cold, windy Thursday in dire need of a pick-me-up, having lost four straight games. The Wildcats needed a boost and a quick start against rival Waubonsie Valley, and boy, did they get just that.
They scored 10 runs on 10 hits in the first inning on their way to a 14-2, 5-inning DuPage Valley Conference victory in Naperville.
Neuqua Valley's first eight batters reached safely and 16 stepped to the plate in first inning. Gina Rivera and Paige Price had extra fun in the inning; the two Wildcats each recorded a pair of hits in the first inning.
"It was great. And I have a lot of teammates too who are on Waubonsie that I play with during the summer season. So it's always great to see people you know and have that friendly competition," said Price, a first baseman/catcher, who went 3-for-4 in the shortened contest. "Absolutely. We feed off each other. Once we get a couple good hits in it just seems like everyone starts to rally."
A day after the Wildcats batters seemed to hit in some hard luck in a loss to Naperville Central, everything went well for the hosts. Leadoff hitter Mikaela Domico battled her way to a 7-pitch walk, then six hits and a walk followed. By the time No. 8 hitter Alex Ebert laced a 2-run single to center, it was 6-0 and the Wildcats still had not made an out.
"It's nice," said Rivera, whose second single of the inning scored a sliding Danielle Olson on a close play at the plate that made the score 8-0. "Everyone's picking each other up, girl after girl, after everyone comes in everyone's picking each other up."
Of course, it's a little easier to get fired up and cheer on one another when you're scoring 10 times in an inning and, in the Wildcats case, it was much needed.
"Everyone was hitting, which helped a lot," Rivera added. "We've been down. I was just proud of everyone. We needed this as a confidence booster and you could just see the morale and with everyone, you just see the way they're hitting and the way they're acting in the field."
The Warriors scored single runs in the second and third innings, with Caleigh Cramer walking and scoring the team's first run, and Veronica Zahn coming home on a single by Sabrina Scardamaglia in the third.
But that was all Waubonsie Valley (6-15, 4-7) would muster against Neuqua Valley pitcher Zoe Herdman, who allowed 2 runs and 6 hits while picking up the win and helping her team improve to 11-15 overall and 6-5 in the DVC.
"It's hard to chase 10 runs in the first inning," Waubonsie Valley coach Val Wood said. "It's hard and it's a lot to ask of the hitters, and of the defense.
"They fought and they tried really hard. It just wasn't our day. We're getting ready for regionals and hopefully we can start getting the momentum back and start playing better and we'll see what happens. Maybe we can make a little bit of a run at regionals."