Glenbard North stays alive in DVC
It might not show up in the box score, but a bunt play can make or break a team this time of year. Especially when the games are closer and the pitching better.
Just ask Glenbard North and Naperville North.
The No. 1 Panthers squeezed in the tying and go-ahead runs in the top of the sixth inning, and a Huskies bunt attempt in the bottom half loomed large in Glenbard North’s 3-1 win on Wednesday in Naperville.
“Come playoff time you have to be able to manufacture runs, especially against good pitching,” Glenbard North coach Josh Sanew said. “We have to pick it up with runners in scoring position, because our last five games we’ve left thousands of people on base. But I was really impressed with how we executed our bunts.”
With the win Glenbard North (30-2, 12-2 DuPage Valley Conference) kept its DVC title hopes alive. DVC leader Naperville Central, 11-1 in conference, wraps up today with two games at West Chicago.
“We’ll cross our fingers now,” Sanew said.
Naperville North (20-10, 9-5) handed the Panthers their first loss two weeks ago, and for five innings it looked like the Huskies would again be a thorn in their side.
Glenbard North left the bases loaded in each of the first two innings, and Naperville North scratched a run across in the first off Panthers ace Lilly Fecho. Alexis Solak and Caitlyn Warren walked, and Tara Degl’Innocenti’s bloop single scored Solak.
In the fifth the Panthers had a golden opportunity go by the wayside. Bri Harn beat out a bunt single and was sacrificed to second, but on Fecho’s single to center Harn stumbled and fell halfway home.
Harn was stranded at third but redeemed herself the next inning.
Ashley Stiver and Stephanie Campos singles to start the sixth set up Alexis Simone’s squeeze bunt that scored Stiver. Harn dropped another bunt down, and Campos just slid in to home safely under the tag.
“I really wanted to get that bunt down,” Harn said. “That previous play, my leg gave out beneath me and I wiped out pretty bad. I wanted to show them that I still had my head in the game and could get the job done.”
Naperville North didn’t go down easy, or without controversy.
Steph Tobin and Warren walked to start the bottom of the sixth, and when Degl’Innocenti squared to bunt she was clipped in the helmet, appearing to load the bases with none out. But Fecho motioned that she never brought the bat back. The umpires conferred and agreed, ruling it a strike, and Degl’Innocenti eventually struck out.
Huskies coach Jerry Kedziora argued the call vehemently and was restricted to the dugout to watch Fecho wriggle out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam.
“The ruling was that she had the bat out and that she offered on the pitch,” Kedziora said. “My argument was that the girl has the bat out in front of her, and she ducks her head back how is anybody keeping the bat out to offer at the pitch for a strike? Obviously if we load the bases there, with Kailee Budicin coming up who’s leading our team in RBI, I’m feeling pretty good about our chances.”
“It’s such an iffy call,” Sanew said. “We’ve had two umps this year call it on kids for not getting the bat back. The problem is from 43 feet it’s so bang-bang quick. When you have a pitcher throwing over 60 mph, I’m not even thinking about pulling the bat back. We were fortunate to get that call. If we don’t, it’s a different inning.”
Fecho (23-2) was uncharacteristically wild with 6 walks. But she didn’t buckle under pressure, striking out 10.
“It’s nice to have a senior in that situation,” Sanew said. “A lot of younger pitchers might get frustrated there.”