Glenbard South guesses right at right time
If Jenny Wittenberg jumped on Kendall Ryndak's first pitch like she knew what was coming, there's good reason.
"She's my travel team pitcher - that might be part of it," Wittenberg said with a smile. "I've been hitting inside off the handle. I knew if the pitch came inside I just had to turn on it."
Wittenberg drilled a two-out, 2-run double in the top of the eighth, giving No. 4 Glenbard South a 4-2 win over Downers Grove North on Saturday at Doerhoefer Park.
Glenbard South (16-1), which lost for the first time on Friday at Benet, got its winning rally going with two out in the eighth.
Brianna Meath singled and Amanda Fazzari drew a walk, bringing up Wittenberg. The Raiders junior hit Ryndak's first pitch over the Downers Grove North left-fielder, bringing in the go-ahead runs.
Right girl at the plate, right time.
"She came through in the clutch," Raiders coach Julie Fonda said, "like we've been counting on her all year to do. She works so hard at hitting. After the Sycamore game (a 2-0 win Thursday) she stayed and hit for about an hour with her dad after the game, and she was 2-for-3 that game. It's like 'really?' She's that type of kid."
Jess Wilkes (11-0) retired Downers Grove North in order in the bottom half of the eighth. After giving up single runs in the first and second innings, and 6 hits over the first three innings, Wilkes allowed just 2 baserunners the rest of the way.
She struck out five, shaking off a sprained ankle suffered when Wilkes fell on the wet dirt on her run-scoring squeeze bunt in the third.
"I've been saying it all year - she's like ice out there," Fonda said. "Nothing rattles her. She's got ice in her veins."
Downers Grove North (13-5), which lost for the second time in three games after an 11-game win streak, nearly won it in the bottom of the seventh. Carolyn Nojiri singled with one out and was sacrificed to second. Katie Hunzinger was then thrown out in a close play at first.
The Trojans grabbed a 2-0 lead after two innings as rain fell. Ryndak doubled in a run in the first, and a bloop single by Nojiri scored Brittany Nagy in the second.
Wilkes squeezed to score Wittenberg in the third and a Wittenberg RBI groundout scored Meath in the fifth.
Glenbard South left two runners on in the sixth and the bases loaded in the seventh.
"Yesterday's game is done with," Wittenberg said. "Hopefully we can get another streak going."
A banged-up Trojans team played well without leadoff hitter Rachel Bradley (mononucleosis), their center fielder with a broken finger and standout freshman pitcher Elaine Heflin, who hurt her oblique Thursday.
"We made a couple mental mistakes," Trojans coach Mark Magro said, "but I couldn't be more proud of them the way we're playing with injuries. We got a great 1-2 punch on the mound with Heflin and Kendall.
"We've won 12 out of 14. I'll take that any time."