Antioch gets a 3-homer plus from Ploss

Down the girl who has a three-homer game to her credit, Antioch's slugging softball team simply found another.

Which helps explain why the Sequoits are the best team in Lake County with maybe the deepest lineup, too.

"I perked up a little when I saw she wasn't in the lineup," Wauconda coach Tim Rennels said of Antioch's Samie Seamon, who jacked 3 homers against Addison Trail on April 17. "But they obviously did not feel the void."

Jessica Ploss made sure of that.

There might not be a hotter hitter around than the 6-foot-1 sophomore after she matched Seamon's effort against Addison Trail by launching 3 home runs over Wauconda's fence Wednesday in the Antioch's 14-0, six-inning win. The victory all but officially clinched the North Suburban Prairie Division championship for the Sequoits (20-5, 9-0), who are 2 games ahead of both Wauconda (15-10, 7-2) and Grant (7-2), with games remaining against Wauconda (today) and winless North Chicago (two next week).

Ploss' trio of homers gave her 6 for the season - all in Antioch's last five games. Her homer streak started, coincidentally, when she pinch-hit for the ailing Seamon (abdominal strain) against Grant last week and belted a ball over Antioch's fence.

Olivia Duehr, Lauren Moore and Amber Mysliwiec also homered against Wauconda.

Like Ploss, Bailan Reynolds had 3 hits, including a double, for Antioch. Duehr (2 RBI) and Cat Dinklenburg (RBI) each had 2 hits.

"It was fun," said Ploss, who hit each of her home runs with 1 runner on base. "And we all played really well. Everyone hit well."

Ploss has been swinging some new aluminum and claims it's made a difference.

"I just got a new bat and I think it's making me more confident," Ploss said. "It's just really helping me. I don't know. I just got my head in the game, I'm focused, and everyone's backing me up."

Ploss' first homer was a line shot to center, capping a 5-run first off Wauconda starter Kayla Stos.

After grounding out in the third, Ploss homered to left field in the fifth and again in the sixth. The third home run sailed over the scoreboard, with the ball landing well beyond it.

Not a bad day for a girl batting seventh in the order.

"She can crush it. There's no doubt about that," Antioch coach Jeff Tylka said. "She needs the at-bats."

The Sequoits came to hit, starting the game by swinging at Stos' first 4 pitches. Reynolds and Duehr both singled and moved up on Allie Anttila's sacrifice bunt. Cleanup-hitter Moore then fouled off the first pitch she saw, before eventually hitting a flyball that was misplayed for an error, scoring the Sequoits' first two runs.

"I think we take too many strikes," Tylka explained of his team's aggressive approach. "We've been getting on the girls and have said, 'In an RBI situation, what do our pitchers try to do? They try to get ahead. So expect the pitcher with her first or second pitch to come in with something that you can actually drive.' We preached all week that they got to be more aggressive."

Wauconda mustered just 4 singles - by Kate Martino, Kendra Wedl, Stephanie Olson and Cara Nance - off Duehr, who struck out four in her 6 innings.

Only 1 of the 5 runs Stos allowed in the first were earned. She couldn't recover, however.

"She was pressing a little too hard to find her zone," Rennels said. "(Antioch) had batting practice off us. Great swings. Powerful girls."