Ciran's no-hitter leads SCN over Geneva
Sophomore-dominated St. Charles North continues to impress.
The North Stars won their first softball conference championship in program history this season, and the squad made quick work of Geneva Thursday afternoon at the Class 4A Lake Park regional semifinal in Roselle.
Amanda Ciran parked a 3-run home run, a lined-shot over the right-center field wall, to give the North Stars a double-digit lead over the Vikings, and the sophomore right-hander was equally stingy in the circle. Ciran fired a 5-inning no-hitter as St. Charles North capitalized on a slew of Geneva mental and physical mistakes to coast to an 11-0 win.
The fifth-seeded Upstate Eight Conference champion North Stars advance to face host and league rival Lake Park on Saturday morning in the regional final. The teams split their regular-season encounters, and St. Charles North (25-9) looks to capture the ultimate rubber game against the fourth-seeded Lancers (24-14).
Geneva, the No. 12 seed in the Lake Park sectional complex, closed out its season at 16-18.
St. Charles North first baseman Juliaclare Plezbert set the tone in the bottom of the first inning; one of eight sophomore starters for the North Stars, Plezbert jacked a 2-run home run inside the left-field foul pole to jump-start the North Stars' attack.
"It felt really good," Plezbert said of her first home run of the season. "We knew we had to jump on them quick. We did our job by hitting the ball and putting it in play."
Ciran was a blemish away from a perfect game; the right-hander plunked Geneva junior Rachel Hunter with one out in the top of the second.
The proverbial roof caved in for Geneva in the North Stars' second. Eleven players came to the plate for St. Charles North in the 8-run frame, and three consecutive errors by the Vikings, exacerbated by another pair of mental mistakes, prolonged the Vikings' agony.
Ciran rifled a single to start the inning and later scored on a high throw to the plate. Annie Korth and Natalie Capone soon dotted home plate as well for the North Stars, who were uniformly aggressive on the bases.
Loren Cihlar and Taylor Russell also produced runs for the North Stars during the inning, and Ashley Seering made it 7-0 with an infield single up the middle with runners at second and third.
The Ciran blast then made an abbreviated outcome reality for the North Stars.
"Once you get a big lead like that, it makes you work on hitting your spots," Ciran said.
Ciran recorded only a pair of strikeouts, but the North defense flawlessly fielded all 13 of its chances.
"You know (the infielders) are going to scoop it up, and it helps to have them behind you," Ciran said.
"It was a rough day," Geneva coach Greg Dierks said. "(The North Stars) won their conference for a reason. We have to make some adjustments and look to improve the program."