Burlington Central sweeps St. Charles North
Going into the season, one of the big question marks surrounding the Burlington Central softball team was how its young pitching staff would handle varsity competition.
After Saturday’s doubleheader sweep of St. Charles North, it’s obvious the Rockets’ pitchers are doing just fine.
Facing a team that less than 24 hours earlier had 8 hits and 8 runs off Elgin senior standout Hannah Perryman, Rockets’ sophomore Brooke Gaylord spun a 1-hitter in Game 1 and freshman Angie Morrow limited St. Charles North to 5 hits in Game 2 as the Rockets won 2-1 and 3-2. BC has now won 5 straight and 8 of 9 in moving to 15-7 for the season.
“We played clean games today,” said Rockets’ coach Cray Allen, whose team made just 1 error in the two games. “(The pitchers) are doing a pretty good job. Brooke’s been getting better and better. She missed 20 games last year (injured) so we’re real happy with where she’s at. She worked her tail off in the offseason and she’s becoming a better pitcher. Angie’s seeing the situation as a freshman and she’s handling it. She’s worked hard.”
Gaylord was perfect through four innings in the opener and had a no-hitter going into the seventh when St. Charles North sophomore Mickey Goetz — who had a pretty fine day herself — blasted a solo home run to left-center field to tie the game 1-1.
But then Gaylord, whose RBI single in the fourth scored Bekah Harnish with the first run of the game, ripped a one-out double down the left field line in the bottom of the inning, then scored the winning-run on Morrow’s walk off single to right-center.
“I knew I had to pick up the girl before me who had struck out and I had trust in Angie to drive me in,” Gaylord said.
Her pitching performance was as impressive as her 3-for-3 game at the plate that included a bunt that rolled down the third-base line and stayed fair on the chalk. She struck out 7 and walked 1 and was aided by some spiffy defense, including Amanda Ritchie’s rolling catch at shortstop with two outs and runners at first and third in the fifth.
Senior Shannon Caliri took the loss for the North Stars. She struck out 2 and walked 2 and allowed 6 hits.
In Game 2, BC scored in the first inning when Emily Bell doubled and came home on Harnish’s single to right. Morrow took a no-hitter into the sixth inning when the North Stars (10-11) again took a lead, this time 2-0. With two outs leadoff hitter Courtney Smith, who assumed that spot when sophomore Sabrina Rabin was rested for the day with a sore hip, singled and freshman Kaitlyn Waslawski walked. They both scored on Goetz’s rocket-shot double to the fence in right-center.
But again, the Rockets came back and won the game in their last at-bat and Gaylord — again — helped finish things off. Bell doubled to right and Harnish dumped a single into left to put runners at first and third. Haley Albamonte then squeezed home Bell with the tying run and Gaylord’s sacrifice fly to left plated Harnish with the go-ahead run.
“I was thinking I needed a hit or a long flyball and I couldn’t ground out,” Gaylord said, underscoring her next statement that the Rockets’ “mental game was really on today.”
Morrow allowed a leadoff single to freshman Abby Howlett in the seventh and Sara Hausl sacrificed her to second but Ritchie turned a quick game-ending double play when she caught Delaney Olinger’s line drive at short and flipped to Lauren King at second to double off Howlett and complete the sweep.
“We executed when we had to,” Allen said. “The pitching was good and the defense was sound. It was a good day of softball. Hats off to both sides.”
Which Poulin agreed with despite the losses.
“Without Sabrina we weren’t fully loaded but Cray does a great job,” Poulin said. “His girls are cerebral and physically talented. It was a good challenge for us.”
Goetz took the loss in Game 2 but was effective in only allowing 6 hits.
“She had a heck of a day today,” Poulin said of Goetz. “We’re proud of her.”