Downers South tops Benet in slugfest

Ron Havelka could only shake his head and voice a thought part good humor, part exasperation.

"Honest to God, if this is the way the whole season goes," cracked Downers Grove South's softball coach.

Havelka's been coaching in Downers Grove 18 years, but his Mustangs' 12-9 win over Benet Thursday in Downers Grove was yet another indication that the game as he knows it is turned upside down this season.

"I knew moving the mound back to 43 feet would make a difference," Havelka said, "but I didn't think it would make this much of a difference. The days of the 1-0 games are over."

Two of DuPage County's better offenses combined for 25 hits, Downers Grove South scoring in every inning.

"It was like coaching in a 16-inch softball game," Benet coach Jerry Schilf said. "The pitching distance makes a difference and there is quality hitting on both sides."

Benet, which earlier in the week came back from 4 runs down to beat Neuqua Valley, trailed 12-7 going into the seventh. Three hits, including a Maeve McGuire double, and a wild pitch later it was 12-9. Downers Grove South pitcher Katie Talbot retired the last out with the tying run in the on-deck dircle.

"Exciting, but stressful," Downers Grove South junior Marissa Mersch said. "Benet's a great team. We made some mistakes, but we kept battling."

Danielle Trezzo's 3-run homer gave Downers Grove South (2-0) a 5-0 lead in the second inning. Benet sent 10 batters to the plate in a 6-run third to grab a 6-5 lead, Kelsey Wirth's seeing-eye single scoring the go-ahead run. The Mustangs tied it at 6-6 and went ahead 7-6 in the fourth on a Mersch solo homer to center, but Benet tied it 7-7 in the fifth as Mikayla Panko doubled and came around to score on a throwing error.

In the bottom half Downers Grove South third baseman Alyssa Magallenes made up for her throwing error in the top half with an RBI single to score Dana Gawel and make it 8-7. Magallenes later added a 2-run single in the seventh.

Loyola recruit Mersch went 3-for-4 with a double, homer and 3 runs scored and Katie LaCivita singled 3 times for the Mustangs.

"I give credit to Benet," Havelka said. "We jumped on them early, but they kept fighting. But once they came back we kept adding on. Hopefully, we can build on this."

Panko went 2-for-4 and Rohan 3-for-4 for Benet (4-2), whose bottom five hitters had 10 of the team's 11 hits.

"We were hitting the ball," Schilf said, "but not everybody was hitting the ball. We didn't quit."