No mistaking WW South triumph over Bartlett
Katie Ottolin wasn't about to let an error be her last high school softball memory.
Two innings after her low throw led to the tying hit, the Wheaton Warrenville South senior singled in what proved to be the game-winner as the No. 11 seed Tigers outlasted No. 6 Bartlett 7-6 at Tuesday's Class 4A West Chicago regional.
"That was probably the best thing that ever could have happened," Ottolin said. "We all make mistakes and unfortunately that was one of mine. I wanted to come right back and make up for it."
After watching Bartlett rally from a 6-0 deficit, WW South got a Megan Zablock single to start the top of the seventh. Bekah Munday sacrificed the runner to second, and Ottolin blooped a single to short right. The ball took an unorthodox bounce away from the Bartlett right fielder, allowing the run to score.
"We knew the 6 runs weren't going to be enough," WW South coach Denise McCance said. "Bartlett's a good hitting team with a great pitcher. But I was really, really proud of my girls."
"I just wanted to make contact on the changeup," Ottolin said, "and get it over the second baseman. That's all we needed."
It wasn't the first funny hop in the outfield.
"It's kind of a choppy field," Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith said, "and they got a little bit of a lip and we told the girls to watch out for the lip in the outfield. We actually had two balls do the exact same thing. It got out there, had that little side spin and kicked right by us."
The win is the seventh in eight games for red-hot WW South (20-15). Among the victims in a late-season surge is No. 3 seed West Chicago, which WW South plays Friday for a regional championship.
"At first this season we were doing great," Ottolin said, "and then we hit a slump. I know the seniors, we wanted to go out with a bang. We wanted to make a name for ourselves."
The Tigers sent 11 batters to the plate in a 6-run second. Ottolin's 2-strike single scored the first run and Timmie Rappe dropped in a full-count single to score Munday and Ottolin to make it 3-0. Two more came home on a Jill Morano squeeze and Kristy Santora infield hit.
As they did in comeback wins over Lake Park, St. Charles East and South Elgin, Bartlett's bats didn't quiet.
The Hawks (24-11) pulled within 6-3 after four innings, despite leaving 11 runners on base over the first four innings.
After a brief lightning delay Jacki Gulczynski doubled with one out in the fifth and Callie Dennison singled in a run to make it 6-4. Katie Popovich hit a grounder to third that Ottolin made a low throw to first on, one of 4 uncharacteristic WW South errors.
Megan Morales made it hurt, hitting a first-pitch double to the gap in right-center to bring in the tying runs.
"It was a great comeback," Wolfsmith said. "WW South's a great team and they've been on a real roll. We knew we were going to be in for a dogfight, and it was every bit of that. We just couldn't get anybody out in that second inning and they kept finding holes.
"Our girls just didn't give up. They kept going. I'm proud of the way they played."