One down, one to go for Glenbard North
Hosting Naperville Central and West Chicago in less than 24 hours will test any softball team's temperature.
Glenbard North is feeling good halfway home.
The Panthers scored 3 runs with two outs in the second inning on Friday, more than enough support for Hannah Santora in a 3-0 win over Naperville Central.
It only adds to the significance of this morning's game. Glenbard North (14-5, 5-1 DuPage Valley Conference) and West Chicago are the only teams in the DVC with just one loss. Both are two games ahead of Naperville Central (17-5, 5-3) and Wheaton North in the loss column.
"We looked at it, that (these two games) can be good or they can be bad depending on how it goes," Panthers coach Josh Sanew said. "You have to worry about this game because that momentum and energy will carry over."
The Panthers sent eight batters to the plate off Redhawks ace Natalie Wunderlich in the pivotal second. Laura Scott led off with an infield single, and an out later Santora was clipped by a Wunderlich offering. Jenny Blasius then rolled a grounder up the third-base line and was picked up before going foul. All runners were safe.
Wunderlich (12-4) struck out the next batter, but Susan Lindstrom poked a 2-strike single past the diving second baseman for a 1-0 game.
"That felt good," Lindstrom said, "just to get that run in from third base."
Natalie Shank followed by lining Wunderlich's first pitch to center that Redhawks center fielder Maggie Buoy trapped, 2 more runners coming in.
"We said to try to work the count against her," said Sanew, whose team struck out just 3 times all day, "and if she makes a mistake take advantage. We made great improvement cutting down on our strikeouts."
Naperville Central put a pair of runners on in the third and fifth innings but neither came in. A 3-run hole was a crater to a team that hasn't scored more than 2 runs in its last eight games.
"The difference between winning and losing is razor thin," Redhawks coach Andy Nussbaum said, "and the fact that we can't score runs makes the margin of error even thinner."
Santora struck out 5 batters and scattered 4 hits and 2 walks, hurling her ninth shutout.
"I was moving it inside and outside a lot, throwing my curveball," Santora said. "My team hit behind me and we played really good defense."
She got great help from her battery mate. Bri DiGioia made a diving catch of a pop up behind home plate in the second and threw out a runner trying to stretch a single to second base on an errant Panthers throw.
"That was a huge play, throwing her out at second," Sanew said. "You left the window open for them to put something together to get back in the game and Bri made a great play. She's all over the place back there."