Geneva makes progress, but St. Charles North prevails
Some 11 months after a humiliating regional loss at the hands of St. Charles North, Geneva made serious inroads against the North Stars on Monday afternoon.
But the North Stars' junior-dominated softball team still had far too much for the Vikings in nonconference action, using pinpoint offensive and defensive execution to the tune of a 4-0 victory in St. Charles.
St. Charles North improved to 16-2; Geneva fell to .500 at 11-11.
"We're not in their league yet, but we are working on trying to narrow the gap," Geneva coach Greg Dierks said. "They're the best team in the area. It's a very difficult day defensively (against St. Charles North) because of all they things they can do. They have speed, they have power, they can bunt."
Natalie Capone and Loren Cihlar launched the North Stars' 12-hit offensive attack in the bottom of the first with back-to-back singles. Taylor Russell, following a sacrifice, plated Capone with a sharp grounder to third that Vikings infielder Kirsten Searcy adroitly snagged to limit the damage.
Annie Korth then extended the North Stars' first-inning cushion to 2-0 when she was given new life on a muffed foul ball.
"I was relieved," Korth said. "I was thinking, 'I have to get a hit here,' and it worked out pretty well."
The North Stars right fielder lined a shot to the left-field fence for the first of 3 St. Charles North doubles, and Geneva found itself in an early hole. St. Charles North starting pitcher, right-hander Amanda Engel, one of only two seniors in the program, did the rest. Engel scattered 3 harmless singles in pitching yet another complete game for St. Charles North, fanning eight while walking two.
The senior stranded five Geneva base-runners to improve to 6-2.
"I thought the defense was very good today, which made it easier on the mound," Engel said. "It's always nice to go out there with a couple of runs behind you."
Cihlar added another insurance run for the North Stars with two outs in their half of the second; the junior laced a shot up the middle to score Juliaclare Plezbert, the North Stars' seventh-place hitter who was 3-for-3 on the afternoon. The North Stars' combustible offense was looking to blow the game open in the third, only to have Geneva second baseman Melissa Barber snare a vicious Kristin Damm bases-loaded line drive to escape serious damage.
Capone finished the scoring in the fourth inning, using a leadoff single, stolen base and ill-advised Geneva pickoff attempt to complete the North Stars' unanswered attack.
Syd Russell then personified the North Stars' athleticism in decidedly different ways. The three-year starter got a little too greedy, trying to stretch a double into a triple in the North Stars' fourth. But Russell more than made up for her base-running gaffe in the Vikings' fifth, terminating the inning on an unassisted double play. The North Stars' second-baseman ranged far to her right to snag a soft liner and end one of the Vikings' better threats.
"I saw the ball hit; my momentum went out there, and I went to second," Russell said. "The (11) juniors always had a strong bond. As we grow older, we have grown stronger."
"You need to be flawless (to beat St. Charles North)," Dierks said. "We didn't let them blow it open. It could have gone from 4-0 to 10-0 in a hurry."