Glenbard South comeback falls short
Glenbard South looked like a team that hadn’t seen a softball diamond in six days for the first two and a half innings Wednesday.
At least the Raiders went down swinging.
No. 6 Glenbard South spotted defending Class 3A state runner-up Trinity a 12-0 lead, a furious rally falling short in a 13-8 loss in Glen Ellyn.
“I am really proud of the way we kind of came back,” Raiders coach Julie Fonda said, “because we could have hung our heads very easily.”
The two teams have a recent history. Glenbard South beat Trinity in a 3A supersectional two years ago. Trinity defeated the Raiders twice last year, the second time in the sectional semifinal.
That playoff rivalry won’t continue this year with Trinity bumped up to 4A, but the matchup is still a good midseason barometer for both teams.
“When they beat us two years ago I said that’s the kind of program I wanted ours to be,” Trinity coach Bob Osborne said. “We’re so similar. Both teams have speed, they have power and good pitching. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they got back down to state. We have a lot of respect for each other.”
Trinity (13-1), averaging more than 9 runs a game coming in, hit Glenbard South ace Jess Wilkes hard early. The Blazers sent 11 batters to the plate in a 7-run second inning, and nine more to the plate in a 5-run third to surge ahead 12-0. Erin Baldwin’s infield hit started the second-inning outburst, and her two-run single finished off the third.
Glenbard South (8-2) didn’t help its cause with 4 errors, 4 walks and a hit batter over an uncharacteristic two-inning stretch.
“None of us have played for a week, so you can see both teams were a little sloppy,” said Osborne, whose own team committed 2 errors and made a few more mental mistakes. “That week off, it’s hard. You can only do so much inside. But I thought we hit the ball well today up and down the lineup.”
Down big early, and with top hitter Jenny Wittenberg home sick, the Raiders chipped away. Glenbard South scored 3 runs in the third inning, consecutive singles by Hannah Davey, Danielle Chitkowski and Jane Trzaska bringing in a pair and Chitkowski stealing home.
The Raiders tacked on 4 more runs in the sixth, and their first three batters in the seventh singled before the rally stalled.
Davey continued a hot start to her season, going 3-for-4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI, Trzaska was 3-for-4 and Chitkowski and Rachel Cohen both had 2 of the 14 hits for Glenbard South, which hosts unbeaten Downers Grove North in a doubleheader Saturday.
“Our approach at the plate is going to help us down the road,” Fonda said. “Obviously we have to get better at the little things, but I am impressed with how we hit against two good pitchers.”