Victory’s sweet relief for Stevenson

When Stevenson shortstop Lauren Boyle dived headfirst to squeeze a soft line drive for the final out, a larger-than-life smile appeared on the face of a petite pitcher.

“I’m going to cry I’m so happy,” Sam Feder said to no one in particular as she jogged toward her dugout, where the junior quickly was surrounded by peppy Patriots.

Feder stopped any would-be tears, after she and her teammates stopped visiting Libertyville 5-2 in chilly Lincolnshire on Tuesday.

It was a special day, and not only for first-year Wildcats coach Elissa Wisniewski, who for the first time in opposing colors returned to her alma mater, where she graduated from almost exactly 10 years ago after winning 99 games in a stellar four-year varsity softball career.

“It was nice being back,” said Wisniewski, who was an assistant coach at Stevenson before accepting the Libertyville job last summer. “It’s weird being on the other side.”

The day meant a lot for Stevenson because the Patriots’ first nine games were a crying shame for them.

They entered the North Suburban Lake Division contest an atypical 0-9.

“It feels good coming off ... losing a lot,” said Feder, who struck out seven, walked a pair and scattered 7 hits.

“We’re going to roll from now on.”

“Sam,” Stevenson coach Larry Friedrichs said of his winning pitcher, “threw a great game.”

While Feder led Stevenson (1-9, 1-1) in the field, getting big out after big out on a day Libertyville (1-7, 0-2) stranded nine runners on base, Morgan Manka paced the Patriots at the plate.

Manka mashed.

She drove in the game’s first run with a groundout in the second inning, ripped a two-out RBI single to left field in the fourth and then unloaded in the sixth to give Stevenson and Feder a 3-run cushion going into the seventh.

With two out again, Manka, a right-handed hitter, lined a shot into the right-center-field gap. As the ball rolled to the fence, Manka circled the bases for a 2-run, inside-the-park home run.

“I had to redeem myself from last Saturday when we were at Hersey,” Manka said. “I just wasn’t on my game.”

It was the first varsity homer for Manka, who played on varsity as a sophomore last spring.

“I’ve been determined to hit a home run,” said Manka, who finished with 4 RBI. “Now my next goal is to get it over (the fence).”

Manka sparkled defensively at first base, as well. She scooped a throw to end the sixth and save a potential run. In the seventh, she stretched to grab Boyle’s long throw from the hole, keeping Libertyville’s leadoff hitter off base.

“Very thankful,” Feder said of Manka’s defensive gems.

Feder beared down when Libertyville put runners on base. The Wildcats had runners on second and third and none out in the first, but didn’t score. They had runners on the corners with one out in the second and again failed to plate a run.

They got an RBI walk from pitcher Emilie Teitz in the third, but left the bases loaded.

“It was lack of execution,” Wisniewski said. “If we execute, we score those runs and turn this game maybe a different way.”

Nicole Kruckman led off the Libertyville fifth, with the Wildcats trailing 3-1, by hitting a line drive that skipped hard past the left fielder and rolled to the fence for a triple. The next batter, Margaret Haws, lined a Feder pitch over the head of the center fielder, scoring Kruckman. Haws, too, stopped at third, as Wisniewski put up the stop sign.

“I didn’t want to make the first out at home with 5, 6, 7 (in the batting order) coming up,” Wisniewski said. “By the time (both Kruckman and Haws) reached third base, the ball was in the air to the cutoff person.

“I wasn’t 100-percent confident that they would make it in without risking the first out when we have three outs to play with to get them in from third base. When we have runners on third with nobody out, we should be able to manufacture runs.”

Libertyville left seven runners in scoring position.

“You just got to stay focused and keep your confidence up,” Feder said. “Lexi and I,” the pitcher added of catcher Lexi Yonkovic, “we have good telepathy between us.”

The Patriots are confident they have good chemistry among themselves. They’re just still adjusting after losing seven players off last season’s 17-win squad to graduation.

“We’re determined for our seniors this year to work together,” Manka said.

“And go out with a bang,” Feder added.

Feder finished strong, retiring the last five batters she faced and not issuing a free pass after the third inning. Manka’s clutch hitting helped make up for Stevenson managing only 4 hits off Teitz (6 strikeouts, 2 earned runs), albeit half were for extra bases (Manka’s homer and a double by Yonkovic).

“(The losing) has not been a case of work ethic because the kids have been working hard and pushing through it,” Friedrichs said. “It’s been disappointing to be coming up short like we have been. A couple of times it’s just been one bad inning.”