Glenbard South ready for the challenge at Glenbard West
Close, competitive softball games have been few and far between for Glenbard South lately.
A cross-town trip to Glenbard West was a welcome change.
The No. 9 Raiders ran their win streak to 11 straight games with a 7-4 win on Friday afternoon at Memorial Park.
Glenbard South (26-3) knows to expect a tough go whenever it hooks up with its District 87 rival. Glenbard West (18-10) itself was riding an eight-game win streak coming in.
“Not to take anything away from the teams that we’ve beaten lately, but Glenbard West is a good team and (coach) Mary (McGrane) does a fantastic job,” Glenbard South coach Julie Fonda said. “They have some kids who can hit the ball, they play great defense and to beat them we have to do the little things well.”
Glenbard South had outscored its last 10 opponents 114-14, clinching the Metro Suburban Conference championship on Wednesday. Now it’s all about preparing for the playoffs. The Raiders will test themselves with a series of tough non-league games the next week, starting with a doubleheader today against Richards.
“We’re bearing down, trying to get ourselves ready for the state tournament,” Fonda said. “I definitely would rather play a game like this and put my kids’ minds and abilities to the test. Playing the teams that you’re killing, it’s hard to stay up in the dugout and play the game at the level you should be playing at.”
Raiders starting pitcher Danielle Chitkowski (15-1) gave up 4 runs, 2 of them earned, in four innings — but she more than helped her cause at the plate. Chitkowski hit a ground-rule double to score Hannah Davey in the first, hit a solo homer in the third and doubled in Rachel Cohen in the seventh.
“My pitching was definitely not there, so I was focused at the plate,” Chitkowski said. “I knew I needed those hits to get those runs back that I gave up.”
Hilltoppers starter Meghan Johnson shut down Downers Grove North Monday, but Chitkowski had a built-in advantage.
“I used to play with her,” Chitkowski said. “It’s never easy, but I knew what she likes to throw.”
It was a see-saw affair for four innings. Glenbard South grabbed a 1-0 lead on Chitkowski’s double, but Glenbard West answered with Jacklyn Tyburk’s two-run homer in the bottom of the first. Cohen squirted a single through the infield in the second to score Taryn Andros, and Tarah Valdez came home on a wild pickoff attempt.
Chitkowski’s homer nudged Glenbard South ahead 4-2, but Johnson’s two-run double in the bottom of the third tied it again 4-4. Finally, the Raiders took the lead for good in the top of the fourth. Andros lined a leadoff single, and when Glenbard West threw low to first on a bunt Andros came all the way around to score from first.
Glenbard West on Monday came back from a three-run deficit to beat Downers Grove North, but a similar rally wasn’t in the cards. The Hilltoppers managed just one single in three innings off Raiders reliever Stephanie Chitkowski.
“I was kind of disappointed. I thought we took a step backwards from Monday,” McGrane said. “I just didn’t feel like we had a lot of energy to start the game.”
Jane Trzaska went 2-for-4 for Glenbard South, her RBI single in the seventh providing the final margin.