Neuqua takes advantage of Naperville Central's mistakes
Given new life, Neuqua Valley knew what to do with it.
A passed ball on what would have been strike three for the last out opened the door for Jenna Marsalli's game-winning single in a 4-3 win over No. 14 Naperville Central in the opener of a doubleheader Saturday.
Marsalli homered to back Jena Boudreau's 3-hitter as No. 19 Neuqua took the second game 4-1.
"I guess things went our way," Marsalli said. "Of course we want to take advantage of anything we can."
Trailing 3-2 heading into the last of the seventh of Game 1, Neuqua's Katie Wido doubled leading off. Wido was sacrificed to third, but Naperville Central pitcher Kristina Vizza froze the next batter with a called third strike changeup.
Neuqua's Amanda Mener then took a called third strike from Vizza - Vizza's 14th strikeout - but a passed ball allowed Mener to reach first and Wido to scamper home with the tying run.
Kat Widup reached on an error, and Marsalli lined Vizza's 1-1 offering into center to score Mener.
"I'm very proud of our girls for fighting back at the end of the game like that," Neuqua coach Elaina Tanaka said. "We were taking too many called third strikes and we missed some opportunities. But I'm proud of the girls that we took advantage of the mistakes that were made."
Vizza (1-3) was a hard-luck loser for her second straight outing. She had a 2-1 lead with two outs in the seventh on Monday against Downers Grove North before losing 4-2. Vizza allowed just 1 earned run Saturday.
"She pitched very well," Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum said. "I'm very frustrated. The fact that we get outexecuted on a regular basis is very bothersome."
Neuqua winning pitcher Colleen Hohman (2-2) was impressive in her best start of the season, striking out nine and allowing just 5 hits. Hohman allowed a go-ahead pinch-hit RBI single to Alyssa Wunderlich in the sixth but worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in the seventh.
Boudreau (5-1) was sharp in Game 2, taking a no-hit bid into the fifth until Juliet Tassi's two-out single. She struck out three, allowing just an unearned run in the seventh - the first run allowed over Boudreau's last three starts.
"Yeah I knew I had a no-hitter going," Boudreau said with a smile. "My coach kind of said something and I said, 'You jinxed it!' But what are you gonna do?"
Marsalli gave Boudreau an early lead, poking a 2-strike opposite-field solo homer off Wunderlich in the first inning. Neuqua (9-4), which won its fifth straight, tacked on 3 more runs in the fourth. Widup smacked a 2-run double and Hohman singled in Widup to make it 4-0.
"I was just trying to put it in play. She gave me an outside pitch and I just tried to go with it," said Marsalli, who also homered on Thursday in a win over St. Charles North. "It's a great win for us."
Wunderlich (5-3) struck out nine for Naperville Central (6-6).