Waubonsie Valley 4, Naperville North 3

It's never too late in the season to earn a little neighborhood respect.

Waubonsie Valley did just that on Thursday, beating nearby Naperville North 4-3 in Naperville.

It was the fourth, and perhaps best, win of the season for the Warriors (4-14).

"It's nonconference, but we wanted this one," said Warriors shortstop Ally Seplak, who went 3-for-4 and scored 2 runs. "We haven't had many wins this season, but we definitely wanted to show that we could play. Hopefully, we can carry the momentum from this win to the rest of the season."

Seplak and Jessica Lobraco singled to lead off the game, and both came around to score for a 2-0 Waubonsie Valley lead. The Warriors tacked onto that lead, sending eight batters to the plate in a 2-run third. Tori Spears doubled in Seplak and Lobraco scored on a grounder to make it 4-1.

"We've scored in the first inning in other games," Waubonsie Valley coach Kris Kalivas said, "but today we continued scoring."

Naperville North (11-9) made it 4-2 in the fifth, Sarah Adam doubling in Sammy Marshall. But the Huskies could not draw any closer, leaving 10 runners on base. Eight of those were left in scoring position, including a runner at third in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

"No big hits today," Naperville North coach Jerry Kedziora said. "We had the right people up at the right times; we just didn't get the hits when we needed them."

The Huskies also had three runners thrown out on the bases over the first three innings. Lobraco doubled off a Naperville North runner with a throw from left in the first innings, and center fielder Kayleigh Crouch threw out a runner at the plate in the third.

"We made some nice plays to kill their momentum," Kalivas said.

Sophomore Lauren Thresh (2-4) notched the win for Waubonsie Valley, scattering 9 hits while striking out three. The Warriors played errorless defense behind her.

"Lauren pitched very well," Kalivas said. "She kept hitters off-balance and our defense played well behind her."

Marshall went 4-for-4 with 4 bunt singles and Adam 2-for-4 for Naperville North. Freshman pitcher Emily Dieckmann threw 3¿ innings of scoreless relief for the Huskies, striking out six.

"Emily was great today," Kedziora said. "That's good to see, as a freshman pitcher, using her in relief."