Falcons score 3 in seventh to win

Karen Calabrese put the unforgiving nature of DuPage Valley Conference softball best.

"In the DVC you just can't make mistakes - that's how it's going to be," the Wheaton North coach said.

Calabrese's Falcons pounced on Wheaton Warrenville South's misfortune Friday, turning 2 Tigers errors into 3 seventh-inning runs for a 4-1 win.

Bethany Holaway reached on an error with one out in the seventh of a 1-1 game and went to second on Elisabeth Holaway's single. Sarah Leahy dropped a bunt, and WW South attempted to cut down the lead runner at third. The throw sailed past the bag and went out of play in left field, allowing 2 runners to score.

"That bunt Sarah laid down was the first we've laid down in three games," Calabrese said. "It came down to execution, they made a mistake and we took advantage."

"She made a mistake going to third," WW South coach Denise McCance said, "and then (we) made a mistake going out of play to get the ball.

"We're only averaging about 1 run a game, so you can't have any mistakes."

Paige Wilson followed with a line single to center to score Leahy, making it 4-1.

Wheaton North's big seventh soothed the frustration of scoring opportunities lost. Elisabeth Holaway's single in the third put the Falcons up 1-0, but they stranded 6 runners in scoring position over the first six innings.

"We have that problem sometimes, of getting runners in," Holaway said. "We have to learn to keep it moving. You can't wait for something to happen."

WW South tied the game in the fifth, Hannah Granger singling in Jessica Wasser. But Wheaton North pitcher Kahla Nolan worked out of further damage, striking out two batters and fielding a comebacker to end the inning with two Tigers baserunners on.

Nolan (9-4) struck out six, and Wheaton North (12-6, 3-2) snapped a two-game losing streak with a daunting home-and-home with Glenbard North coming up next Tuesday and Wednesday.

"Kahla's only a sophomore, the majority of our team is sophomores, we only have two seniors," Calabrese said, "and I think with the more experience they get the better they'll get at closing out games. They don't realize how much talent they have, so they get nervous. They need to start realizing that we can close these games out."

Pitcher Julianne LaFleur (8-7) fanned eight for WW South (9-12, 2-4).