Kappelman celebrates birthday with Naperville Central sweep
Something about Neuqua Valley’s softball field brings out the clutch in Nicole Kappelman.
Saturday, the Naperville Central senior’s 18th birthday, was no different.
Kappelman’s infield single with two outs in the top of the seventh sparked a 2-run rally in the No. 15 Redhawks’ 4-3 win over Neuqua Valley in Game 1 of an afternoon doubleheader. Kappelman then came back with a go-ahead two-out RBI single in the second inning of the second game, Naperville Central sweeping with a 4-2 victory to run its win streak to seven straight.
As a freshman three years ago, Kappelman drew a bases-loaded, go-ahead ninth-inning walk in the Redhawks’ sectional final win over Lockport at Neuqua.
“I just knew that I needed to do anything I could to get on in that first game,” Kappelman said. “I needed to get things rolling.”
The speedy Kappelman just beat out the slow roller to third base, despite vehement Neuqua protests that she was out.
Either way, it got the ball rolling the Redhawks’ way.
Maddi Doane promptly lined the first offering from Jamie O’Brien for a double to deep center, scoring Kappelman to tie it 3-3. Doane, a summer teammate of O’Brien’s, earlier had a first-pitch RBI single.
“She threw me some meatball first pitches, so I was ready,” Doane said. “I know what she likes to throw, and she probably knows what I don’t like.”
Kelsey Gonzalez drew a walk, and Kaitlyn Skarecky followed with a flare just over the shortstop into left field, scoring Doane with the go-ahead run.
In the bottom of the seventh, Rebecca Lincoln led off with a bunt single, and two sacrifices moved her to third for No. 3 hitter O’Brien. On a 2-1 count O’Brien sent a rocket just foul down the first-base line. Next pitch, Redhawks sophomore Keegan Hayes got O’Brien swinging to end it.
“Boy, that first game, that’s what the game is all about,” Redhawks coach Andy Nussbaum said.
Nussbaum’s Redhawks (9-3) were clutch all day, scoring 7 of their 8 runs with two out. Kappelman dropped a two-out, two-strike single to short left in the second inning of Game 2 to score Laura Dierking and make it 2-1. In the seventh, Skarecky delivered what proved to be a big two-out, 2-run single.
Naperville Central pitchers, who had thrown five straight shutouts coming in to Saturday, had their scoreless innings streak snapped at 39 on Alyssa Mazurek’s RBI single for Neuqua in the second inning of Game 1. Hayes (4-2) did hold Neuqua scoreless the last four innings of Game 1 with 7 strikeouts, and Kristina Vizza (5-1) scattered 7 hits and 3 walks in Game 2, striking out four.
“Kristina has done a good job of battling with runners on,” Nussbaum said. “We’re doing the things that we have to do, when we have to do them.”
O’Brien had a go-ahead RBI single in Game 1 that stood until Naperville Central’s late rally, and went 3-for-4 and scored both of Neuqua’s runs in Game 2. The Wildcats (7-6), though, left the bases loaded in the third inning of the first game with the opportunity to blow it open up 3-2, then stranded 9 runners in Game 2. Neuqua had runners on in every inning of Game 2.
“We hit the ball hard consistently,” Neuqua coach Melissa Wilson said, “but we left a lot of runners on base today. That’s been kind of our theme all year. We do a really nice of getting on base, but we need somebody to step up and get those runners in. We have a young team, and I think it’s something that will come with time.”