Minahan makes Bartlett wait
Bartlett might yet celebrate a conference title this week.
Not on Amanda Minahan’s watch, though.
No. 13 Waubonsie Valley scored 2 runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings, where Minahan won it with a walk-off homer in the eighth as the Warriors beat No. 2 Bartlett 4-2 on Tuesday in Aurora.
After Mel Koulos doubled to start the eighth, Minahan went with an outside offering over the fence in right-center for her eighth homer of the year. Mystified by Tori Burke and her rise ball for for much of the game, Minahan and Waubonsie got the last laugh.
“We were falling for her riseball every time. Finally we made the adjustments,” Minahan said. “I just wanted to hit it to the right side there and move the runner over. I wasn’t expecting to hit it out.”
In a span of 24 hours, the Upstate Eight Valley race suddenly has become a lot more interesting. Back-to-back wins over Bartlett (25-5, 15-2) has drawn Waubonsie (23-6, 14-3) a game back with two to play. An improbable comeback has the Warriors alive for another day.
“Our team, it takes a while for them to get warmed up,” Waubonsie coach Alyson Kelley said. “They like to make things interesting.”
Single runs in the first and second innings staked Burke (14-5) an early 2-0 lead. She seemed more than capable of holding it, striking out five of the first six batters she faced. Burke was perfect until Minahan’s two-out single in the fourth and was poised to become the first pitcher to shut out Waubonsie this season going into the seventh.
Katie Benson and Erin Hohman both reached on full-count walks for Waubonsie sandwiched around a groundout to start the seventh. With two outs Courtney Hicks, pinch-hit for her previous at-bat, hit a pop fly into short left that dropped in, scoring Shannon Hohman.
“I was hoping that it would drop,” Hicks said. “I wanted to prove to them that I could be a hitter, even with two outs and all that pressure.”
Next up was No. 9 hitter Jessica Sarch, who lined Burke’s offering just fair down the left-field line, bringing in Erin Hohman with the tying run.
“That’s one thing I’m happy about — I got kids that can come through one through nine in the lineup,” Kelley said. “That’s a nice luxury to have.”
Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith tipped his cap to Waubonsie for catching on to Burke.
“They’re an excellent hitting team, and by the third time through (the batting order) they had adjusted and started making contact,” he said. “In the seventh they had a couple duck snorts and then Sarch’s hit down the line. If it goes 3 inches the other way it might be a different outcome.”
“We started to crowd the plate more,” Minahan said. “I usually swing and miss on those outside pitches. She struck me out a few times.”
Bartlett, shut out by Shannon Hohman Monday, jumped out early. Andreana Taormina hit a slap single and scored on a Stephanie Tomazin groundout. Kayla Haberstich doubled to start the second and scored on Sydney Johnson’s wicked shot off Waubonsie’s third baseman. But Bartlett stranded two runners in each of the first two innings and Hohman (18-4) settled in from there, holding the Hawks to 3 hits the rest of the way.
“We had our chances early, but we couldn’t put up more than those two runs,” Jim Wolfsmith said. “Later we couldn’t get the key hit and Hohman settled in. Lots of credit to Waubonsie Valley. We had a great three innings and they kept it close.”