Glenbard South 5, Kaneland 4
It's not every day -- heck, it's not every year -- that Glenbard South's softball team loses Western Sun Conference games.
But the Raiders were on the ropes Thursday in Maple Park, thanks to a tape-measure 3-run homer by Kaneland third baseman Sara Rose.
The Raiders responded, first with a pair of unearned runs to force extra innings, then they plated the game-winner in the 10th on a wild pitch for a 5-4 victory.
Glenbard South (16-4) won the Western Sun with a 14-0 record last year. Thursday's come-from-behind win improved the Raiders to 8-0 this year.
"Our goal is to go undefeated in conference," said catcher Jess Fijolek, who went 3-for-4, scored 2 runs, drove in another and made the game's key defensive play. "They are a good team.
"I've been struggling at the plate and I know I have to step up and pull through and be a leader like everyone else."
Fijolek also is one of the walking wounded for the Raiders, a group that added another key member when leadoff hitter Lauren Podgorski left the game in the second inning with a dislocated finger.
Podgorski, a .380 hitter, injured the finger sliding into second base. Center fielder Nikki Simpson's dad took Podgorski to Delnor hospital.
Podgorski walked on four pitches to start the game and scored the game's first run on Simpson's triple.
"It kind of popped our balloon there for a little bit because she's our sparkplug," Glenbard South coach Julie Fonda said. "We've had a rough week. I'm just glad to come out of it with a win."
While they lost Podgorski, the Raiders welcomed another key player back. After being out sick for a week, pitcher Jill Trzaska relieved in the fifth inning, her first time on the mound since last Friday.
Trzaska improved to 11-1 with 6 scoreless innings. Robin Borowski started for the Raiders and finished with 5 strikeouts and no walks in her 4 innings.
Kaneland (13-4, 6-3) did all its damage with a 4-run second inning. Rose delivered the key blow, a 3-run home run to right center that not only flew over the fence but continued to carry high into the trees beyond the fence.
It was Rose's first home run of the year and second in her career -- the first winning a game at Sycamore last year.
"I don't know if I've seen a ball hit that far," Kaneland coach Dennis Hansen said. "That was quite a feat."
The Knights held their 4-2 lead into the fifth, when Glenbard South tied the game without hitting the ball out of the infield. With runners at second and third and two outs, Kaneland misplayed a hard grounder, then threw the ball away, allowing the tying runs to score.
"We didn't make the plays when we needed to," Hansen said.
The Raiders had the go-ahead run on third base in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, but each time Mallory Huml (10-3) escaped. Huml pitched all 10 innings, allowing 8 hits and striking out three.
Kaneland then had its chances to win the game in the bottom of the eighth and ninth innings. Jessica Lubic hit a shot to left field that fell a few feet short of a walk-off home run. Rose doubled but was left at second base.
The Knights' best chance came with runners at second and third and one out in the eighth. A botched suicide squeeze and a strikeout ended the inning.
Ironically, Glenbard South lost its last game 1-0 to Sandburg on a suicide squeeze Monday. This time Fijolek gunned down the runner at third.
"I called a changeup and she (the batter) didn't get it down," Fijolek said. "I saw her (the runner) stumble so I knew I could get her."
Kaneland catcher Lindsay Hansen gunned two would-be base stealers. Shortstop Maggie Yagen was busy all day, making 8 assists.
Besides Rose, Vicki Mathieu enjoyed a 3-for-5 day for the Knights, and No. 9 hitter Chassidy Mangers smacked an RBI single.
"Seemed like we hit a lot of shots at them," Hansen said. "She (Trzaska) made some nice pitches when she needed to. It was just one of games that a couple plays here or there decide. We battled."