Happy times for Grant

Before leading off the top of the seventh inning, Grant senior Sarah DeFries spied the dad of teammate Rachel DePouw standing behind Wauconda’s backstop, smiled and wished him happy birthday.

After Grant scored 3 runs in the seventh to snap a 1-1 tie and secure a 4-1 win in the two teams’ North Suburban Prairie Division finale, happy Bulldogs sat in left field and sang happy birthday to teammate Jessica Catinella.

The victory was Grant’s third straight, hiking its record to 10-17 (7-5 NSC Prairie).

“Happy times,” said Rachel DePouw, Grant’s ace.

Happy birthdays.

Grant celebrated four May 17 birthdays Tuesday: Mike DePouw (Rachel’s dad), junior left fielder Catinella, head coach Mike Dolezal and Lance Lhotka, the dad of senior Lindsey Lhotka.

“We couldn’t lose today,” DePouw said.

Grant’s starting pitcher definitely had a say in the matter.

After Wauconda (4-8 NSC Prairie) got a two-out RBI single from Brittany Ehmann in the first, DePouw allowed only 3 more hits the rest of the way, and two of those came in the second inning.

Cara Nance’s windblown double and steal of third had preceded Ehmann’s clutch hit.

DePouw retired the final seven batters she faced, after issuing her only walk — to Alex Kinnamon — with two out in the fifth.

“She’s been pitching well all year,” Dolezal said. “She’s been really consistent. She’s kind of been the anchor of the team.”

DePouw credited the Bulldogs’ 17-inning win against Vernon Hills and star pitcher Megan Meline last week for their recent surge.

“It made me feel a lot more confident on the field,” DePouw said.

“We’re doing a lot better fielding, and our outfield is doing pretty well. If I feel confident on the mound, I feel our team can do well. And if I feel well having backup (in the field), I know I can pitch the ball, and if (the opposition) does hit it, I don’t have to worry about it.”

DePouw (2 strikeouts, 5 hits allowed) got good defensive support.

Grant second baseman Molly Smith scooped up everything her way, registering 6 assists. Her twin, catcher Amber Smith, threw out a runner trying to swipe second base.

“I thought Molly Smith had an outstanding game defensively,” Dolezal said. “I thought (shortstop) Hannah Graham (3 putouts, 2 assists) came through, too.”

Graham delivered with the bat, too, as her RBI single scored Nikki Nazario (2-for-4, double) to pull the visitors even in the fourth.

DeFries started Grant’s seventh-inning rally with a single that kicked off the second-base bag.

Birthday-girl Catinella (1-for-3) then successfully sacrifice-bunted and was safe on an error.

Then it was Molly Smith’s turn for a clutch hit, which snapped the tie. When DePouw’s groundball leaked past an infielder (Wauconda’s fifth error), two more runs scored.

“We’re playing better,” Dolezal said. “We got some clutch hits. That’s what we’ve been struggling with all year.”