Softball: WW South takes third straight DVC shutout
There are many things that need to happen for a softball team to succeed in its conference. And getting off to a good start is at or near the top of the list.
Wheaton Warrenville South is enjoying its start in DuPage Valley Conference competition. It moved to 3-0 in league play with a 17-0, five-inning win at Glenbard North on Thursday. The Tigers (6-3) have not been scored on yet in the DVC, having earned shutout victories against Wheaton North and Lake Park on Tuesday and Wednesday.
"Whenever we do well, everyone feeds off of that. We've been working in practice and it's showing in the games," said Katie Weisheit, who doubled and connected on an RBI single in the 5-run fourth inning.
WW South went home with 18 hits and an outstanding pitching performance from Kacie Vlach, who threw a 1-hitter, striking out nine and walking none.
"I felt strong during warmups and we have a strong defense that I could count on. It helps when the defense has your back," Vlach said.
She struck out the side in the third and fifth innings. Only two balls hit by the Panthers (1-3, 1-1) left the infield, including Kaitlyn Scheitler's single to left in the fourth.
"Kacie was ahead of the hitters all day and able to hit her spots," said WW South coach Jeff Pawlak. He knows that much softball remains, but he said the last few days have been a big positive.
"We're young, but this builds confidence for the team. It's nice that we've been able to do it," Pawlak said.
The Tigers struck quickly in their half of the first inning. Leadoff hitter Aerin Moberg walked and Frankie Lang doubled her home. She and teammate Carly Briggs each finished with 3 hits apiece. Briggs' RBI double in the fourth and Lang's 2-run double that inning helped break the game wide open.
"Everybody is playing very well. We're hustling on and off the field," Lang said.
Other highlights for WW South included Kaitlyn Bresingham's RBI double in the 5-run second, Abby Struebing's double in the same inning and Emily Bougadis' double in the fifth. Kara Struebing scored three times.
Glenbard North had gone into the game after racking up 10 hits in a 12-5 win over Waubonsie Valley on Wednesday. Panthers coach Josh Sanew told his team in the postgame meeting to learn from this game and move on.
"We played good against St. Charles East and Bartlett. We played solid against Waubonsie Valley and won. Today we came out and laid an egg. But we looked at it as we got it all out of our system. The great thing is we get to come back (Friday) and we're here again," he said.
The Panthers host Naperville Central in a game rescheduled because of the weather.