Softball: Waubonsie Valley's Olson throws gem at Metea Valley
The postseason can be a new beginning of sorts for some teams and there's no better example than what Waubonsie Valley pulled off Tuesday in Aurora.
The Warriors took to the diamond at Metea Valley with a 5-25 record that included a pair of one-sided losses to the Mustangs. But Emily Olson tossed a 1-hit gem, her defense backed her up well and the No. 18 Warriors surprised the No. 14 Mustangs 2-0 in a Class 4A regional quarterfinal.
Warrior Michelle Calabrese doubled home Emily Pavuk in the fifth inning to break up a scoreless tie and deliver the lone RBI of the game. It was the only score needed by Olson and enough to make a hard-luck loser of Metea Valley pitcher Rissa Bajusz.
"It was either win or go home and we said that we did not want to go home," said Calabrese, whose team advances to a Wednesday semifinal at third-seeded Oswego East. "This game we really brought it all together. We got great pitching from Emily, but if there was ever a groundball we didn't make one error, which was really great.
"I was really happy to see that and we had the bats alive when we needed to. The pitcher on their team is really good and we haven't really hit well against her the last two times we played them."
On Tuesday it was the Mustangs' offense that struggled to get on track. Olson retired the first eight hitters she faced before Sam Golminas lined a single just off the top of third baseman Caleigh Cramer's glove. It was the lone hit on the day for the 11-14 Mustangs.
"I couldn't have asked for anything more from them. We've been having a very up-and-down season," Warriors coach Val Wood said. "We haven't been having all the pieces - pitching, hitting and defense - working together and we finally got all three of them working together at the same time. Better late than never.
"Emily pitched one heck of a of a game. A 1-hitter against a team like that, oh my. Emily Finger is one of the best hitters in the conference and she kept her off the bases."
For Metea Valley, the sputtering offense was an unfortunate carryover from the team's two games last week.
"It's the old cliché, it's hard to beat the same team three times," Mustangs coach Kris Kalivas said. "Unfortunately in about the last two weeks we've struggled offensively and it carried into today. Last week we scored one run, so our last three games we've scored one run. We sort of hit a wall offensively and unfortunately we didn't break that streak today."
Olson, who had a nasty curveball and an effective riseball in the game, had something to do with the home team's offensive woes. She also credited her errorless defense.
"This is fun. It feels good," Olson said. "The defense was making some good plays out there and we started feeling like this might be our day."
Ellie Laub had two hits for the Warriors and Maggie Kometa scored an insurance run in the top of the seventh.