Grayslake North 3, Grayslake Central 1

By the numbers, Grayslake North sophomore Samantha Myers isn't all that experienced on the mound. But in her second varsity season in just her second start of the season, she looked like a veteran.

Against crosstown rival Grayslake Central, Myers struck out 11 and gave up just 1 run en route to a 3-1 complete game win.

With the crosstown victory, Grayslake North stands at 5-6 and 1-2 in the Fox Valley Conference's Fox Division while Grayslake Central drops to 2-12 and 1-2.

Myers' second inning served as a good microcosm for the rest of the game as she teetered between burning hot and ice cold. The second most certainly didn't start off on the right foot as Grayslake Central's leadoff batter, Monika Wedick, belted a big home run over the right field fence. But after a hard beginning, Myers regained her concentration and struck out two.

The rest of the game was more of the same. In the first inning, she struck out three batters. Then in the second, third and fourth, she gave up 3 hits in each inning. But with Wedick's big bat serving as the game's only run, North coach Stacy Selle said it was a job well done.

"That's only the second time where she's pitched the complete game all season," Selle said. "She did a great job, we only gave up 1 run and she finished with 11 strikeouts."

Grayslake North had just enough run support for the win. Facing a 1-0 deficit in the bottom of the third, Amanda Leon and Samantha Fletcher both hit big RBI doubles for a 2-1 lead. The Knights gained an insurance run in the next inning as heads-up baserunning allowed Hillary Kuhl to score on a passed ball.

While the result wasn't exactly what coach Abbey Tadelman wanted, she did find positives in the game. At 2-12, Grayslake Central has been plagued by offensive difficulty all season long. But against Grayslake North, the Rams not only belted off nine hits, but also finished the game without a fielding error.

"We've been working on picking up the intensity in games and I think we're close to turning it around," Tadelman said. "Our infield played excellent; we had no errors and that's very good for us."

Since Grayslake North opened its doors just a few years ago, much has been made of the crosstown rivalry. While no one denies the rivalry's existence, Myers said it was far from the only thing at play during the contest.

"Last year, we lost to Grayslake Central, so we really wanted to win this one," Myers said. "I think the rivalry plays into how we play, but at the core, we just wanted to play our game and win."