Softball: St. Charles North stays hot, knocks out Conant

When Allison Moberg sees a pitch she likes, St. Charles North coach Tom Poulin wants to make sure his senior first baseman pounces on it.

Moberg did just that against Conant Wednesday in the Class 4A St. Charles East sectional semifinals, lining Sam Gadomski's offering in the fourth inning for a 2-run home run well over the right-center fence.

That blast broke a scoreless tie and ignited a 4-run inning, which turned out to be the difference in the North Stars' 5-2 victory.

Moberg's homer followed a single by 4-year starter Jordyn Wolfe.

"It was a little up and out," Moberg said. "We were talking with coach Poulin right before that at-bat. He said if you like the first one hit it."

The win continues a strong late-season surge for the No. 5 seeded North Stars (20-9), who will play No. 1 St. Charles East (30-7) for the sectional championship. That game, originally scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, has been moved to 4:30 p.m. Friday because of the forecast for rain Saturday.

"It's a process that's gotten us here," Moberg said. "We're really playing as a team now. Whatever that it factor is we've found it and we're rolling with it. I can't wait to play another game."

The North Stars kept the pressure on No. 2 seed Conant (22-7) after Moberg's homer with consecutive singles from winning pitcher Jillian Waslawski and Alyssa Eby. The runners advanced to second and third on Ashlyn Jozefowicz's bunt.

Grace Quinn hit a comebacker, and Gadomski got Waslawski into a rundown before throwing her out at third. But the Cougars were called for obstruction, not giving Waslawski a path back to third, so despite the protests from Conant coach CathyAnn Smith, all three runners were ruled safe.

Maddie Webb belted a double over the left fielder's head to plate Waslawski and Eby for a 4-0 lead.

The North Stars made it 5-0 in the fifth on another play that had Smith upset. Wolfe singled and stole second, then Moberg hit a hard grounder at shortstop Jackie Burchfield that led to Wolfe and Burchfield bumping into each other as the ball went into left field.

No interference was called on the play, and Wolfe took third. She scored when the next batter, Eby, laid down a bunt that Conant's third baseman bobbled.

Waslawski took a shutout into the bottom of the sixth when catcher Lauren Grezlak hit a 2-out solo home run, the second of the season for the player Smith called the heart and soul of the team.

Paige Nallen doubled leading off the bottom of the seventh, and Poulin pulled Waslawski for Natalie Walters. Makenna McCarthy greeted Walters with an RBI single to make it 5-2, and Burchfield drew a 1-out walk to bring the tying run to the plate.

Walters retired cleanup hitter Morgan Bihun on a comebacker, then ended the game getting Carly Rossdeutcher on a low called third strike on a 3-2 pitch that Conant thought was ball four to load the bases.

"I'm really proud of how the girls attacked," Smith said. "I just feel like sometimes there's uncontrollables that dictate the game for you. I feel like that kind of happened to us a little. Kudos though to North. Our girls fought all the way to the seventh. We had the momentum at the end but an uncontrollable took it away at the end."

Waslawski paced the North Stars with 3 hits, and Wolfe, Moberg and Webb all had 2.

"We just went up there looking for good at-bats, good quality at-bats," Wolfe said. "Just one hit at a time, just attack the ball."

Wolfe had an inside-the-park home run in the North Stars' 2-0 win earlier this season at St. Charles East. Walters threw a shutout in that game, while the Saints won earlier in the season at St. Charles North.

Now the rivals get to play the rubber match with a sectional title up for grabs.

"The community that comes out, the fans we get, for it to be here at East is going to be an unreal game," Moberg said. "That's what we live for."

"It's a big deal just to play for a sectional, but then to play against your rival, an opponent that's as good as St. Charles East, that's what you want in a championship game," Poulin said. "We've had two really competitive games with them.

"We were confident we would hit today. Our bats have come alive at the right time. We've seen some good pitchers. The kids are ready to compete and are playing championship softball at the right time."

Sara Pasbrig went 3-for-3 to lead the Cougars.

"These girls believed all the way," Smith said. "We had two big players graduate for us last year. I couldn't ask for a greater group of girls when people thought we were kind of out of it this year."