Busy digits for Caringella, victorious Wheeling

Mike Caringella’s hands were quite busy late Tuesday afternoon.

The Wheeling softball coach was waving plenty of runners home from the third base coaching box, and he was working the cellphone in the dugout.

Both meant good news for the Wildcats.

Caringella watched 8 runners pass by and score runs in an 8-5 Mid-Suburban League crossover victory at Hoffman Estates.

He also received text messages from sidelined junior second baseman Kaitlyn DeBusk stating she may get clearance to play against Palatine today.

A week ago against Hersey, a ball glanced off her glove and DeBusk was hit in the mouth, requiring 15 stitches.

“She had oral surgery after that,” Caringella said. “But she was texting from the doctor’s follow-up visit (Tuesday) and wanted to know if she could make it to our game before it ended (Tuesday).”

DeBusk’s dedication to be a part of the team was right in line with her teammates, who have been spending some extra time in the Wheeling fieldhouse working on their skills.

It paid off Tuesday as the Wildcats collected 11 hits, including a 3-for-4 performance by Sara Kern.

The Missouri-St. Louis bound junior went 3-for-4 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI.

Three of the Wildcats’ hits came in the top of the seventh when they scored 3 runs to break a 5-5 tie.

DeBusk made it to game in time to see her teammates pull out the victory when sophomore Katie Quagliano retired three of the four batters she faced in the bottom of the seventh.

“Oh my God, it feels so good to get our second conference win,” Kern said. “This is so exciting and gives us momentum. We have been working a lot on our hitting in the fieldhouse. We’ve put in a lot of work so we deserved this.”

Junior Jackie Resnick drew a leadoff walk to trigger the Wildcats’ seventh.

Kern followed with a long double to right giving the visitors runners on second and third with no outs.

Resnick got home on a wild pitch and Kern came home on freshman Nikki Mikosz’ fielder’s choice groundball.

After freshman Nette Howard reached on an error, senior Amanda Zammatta singled to center to drive in the final run.

Quagliano (4 strikeouts) wrapped up the win with a strikeout to start the bottom of the seventh.

Hawks senior Allison Amato blooped a single to center.

Wildcats shortstop Emily Walker made a nifty trap of a low liner and threw to first baseman Howard for the second out before the game ended on a fly out to left fielder Taylor Vasey.

Hoffman Estates (3-14-1, 1-9) also brought its bats to the contest, collecting 11 hits.

Sam Acosta (2-for-3), Nicole LaBeck (2-for-4, double), Kaileen Hendle (2-for-3, double), Alexis Filler (2-for-4) and Kajal Dalal (2-for-4) paced the Hawks.

Mikosz went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI for Wheeling while teammates Resnick, Ashley Hafertepe, Howard, Zammatta, Vasey and Walker (double) each had a hit.

Hoffman jumped ahead 3-0 in the bottom of the first, using a 2-run double from Hendle and a perfectly-placed RBI suicide-squeeze bunt from Filler.

Wheeling led 5-3 in the bottom of the fifth when Hoffman loaded the base with no outs.

But the Hawks were held to 1 run (Filler’s one-out infield single cut deficit to 5-4) as Quagliano (4-12) struck out the side.

“We missed a big chance there,” said Hawks coach Lindsey Hamma, whose freshman pitcher Charlotte Allan (3-13) struck out three. “That was where we needed to put the ball in play and we didn’t do it.

“But I’m proud of the girls. They fought and did some things well but we’ve just got to do it for the whole seven innings. Credit goes to Wheeling. They fought the whole way.”

Hoffman tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the sixth when LaBeck singled home Amanda Harris (1-for-3), who reached on an error with one out.

But Wheeling (4-15, 2-8) answered with its big 3-run seventh.

“For some reason, which I can’t figure out, we always seem to give up runs in the first inning,” said Caringella, whose team has allowed at least 1 run 15 times in the first inning.

“But after that, we settle down. The big thing is that these girls don’t give up. They work hard on their hitting and fielding. I love how they go out and do that on their own.”

The Wildcats have put things in their own hands — just like their coach did on Tuesday.