Dunne's homer lifts Cary-Grove past Huntley
Taylor Dunne just wanted to make solid contact.
The Cary-Grove second baseman got more than she bargained for.
Dunne's 3-run home run in the first inning propelled Cary-Grove to a 5-4 Fox Valley Conference Valley Division softball win over Huntley in Cary Monday afternoon.
"I hit a fastball and got all of it," said Dunne. "I felt sure the ball would get out of the park. It was very important for us to get this win after the prom weekend. Everybody on this team holds themselves to a high standard. This was a big win."
Cary-Grove (21-6, 10-1), which scored the first run of the first inning on an error, grabbed a 4-1 lead on Dunne's homer, which easily cleared the left field fence.
Huntley (15-9, 7-4), which scored an unearned run in the first, tied the game with 3 runs in the third.
Leadoff hitter Arianna Albanese led off the third with a double that was followed by an intentional walk to Jenna Mychko. Valparaiso recruit Amanda Wisniewski foiled the Trojans' strategy by launching a 3-run homer to tie the game at 4-4.
The two pitchers, Huntley's Taylor Larson and Cary-Grove's Lindsay Efflandt, settled down after shaky starts.
After giving up 4 runs in the first inning, Larson blanked the Trojans on just one single during the next four innings. Cary-Grove finally touched Larson for another run in the sixth on an RBI single by Emma Gaulke.
"With a runner on second I just wanted to make contact," said Gaulke. "I got a good fastball on 2-1 and hit it well."
Efflandt, who gave up 4 runs on 4 hits in the first three innings, retired the final 13 hitters in the game to garner the win. The Cary-Grove freshman ended with 4 strikeouts and 2 walks.
"Lindsay did an excellent job as she has all season long," said Cary-Grove coach Tammy Olson. "She settled down after a tough start and pitched well. She also helps herself by fielding her position. We just want to stay focused and win every inning."
Huntley, which suffered its third one-run loss of the season to Cary-Grove, got 2 hits from Wisniewski, which included the homer, a double and 3 RBI.
"They got the big inning on Taylor in the first inning and then she settled down and pitched well," said Huntley coach Mark Petryniec. "We scored in the first three innings and couldn't get anything going the last four innings.