Naperville North bats fall silent

After scoring 19 runs in its first three tournament victories, Naperville North’s offense finally met its match Saturday morning.

Plainfield Central senior left-hander Morgan Vogt (12-2) tossed a complete game and helped her own cause with a pair of basehits, including a fifth-inning RBI single, as the fourth-seeded Wildcats (27-8) escaped with a 3-1 victory over the sixth-seeded Huskies (24-13) in the Class 4A East Aurora sectional softball championship at Phillips Park.

Winners of their first sectional title, the Wildcats advance to face defending 4A champion Moline in Monday’s Normal supersectional at Illinois State University.

“All my four years here I’ve wanted this so badly,” said Vogt, who struck out 3 while walking 4. “It’s awesome to do it my senior year.”

Vogt, who scattered 7 hits, couldn’t have done it without her team’s solid infield defense.

Naperville North, which grabbed a 1-0 first-inning lead on Tara Degl’Innocenti’s 2-out RBI single, pushed runners into scoring position in four of the last six innings but to no avail.

The Huskies’ best threat came in the top of the fifth with Plainfield Central clinging to a 3-1 lead.

After Alexis Solak coaxed a 1-out walk, Stephanie Tobin beat out a bunt single to put runners on first and second for Caitlyn Warren, who lined a single to left, loading the bases for Degl’Innocenti.

On the sixth pitch of the at-bat, the Huskies’ cleanup hitter crushed a foul ball that had home run distance. On the next pitch Degl’Innocenti hit a grounder to third baseman Dominique Roa, who threw to the plate to force Solak for the second out.

When Plainfield Central catcher Cailey Baker fired the ball to first baseman Kristina Shahan for a late double-play attempt, Tobin tried to race around from third but was gunned down at the plate. The unconventional 5-2-3-2 double play ended the threat.

“We had Kailee (Budicin) coming up with the bases loaded but Steph (Tobin) was just trying to get something going,” said Huskies coach Jerry Kedziora. “They still had to make the throw and the tag — and they did.”

Plainfield Central took the lead for good with a 2-run third that included Baker’s RBI single and Roa’s run-scoring double.

In the seventh the Huskies mounted one more final comeback bid, as Tobin reached on a 2-out bunt single and Warren walked to put runners on first and second for Degl’Innocenti.

“That last inning we said, ‘Let’s get us to the middle of our lineup,’ and sure enough Stephanie gets on and Caitlyn gets on and brings Tara up to the plate,” Kedziora said. “She’s one of our hottest hitters. We were right there.”

But Vogt retired Degl’Innocenti on a pop fly to shortstop Kaleigh Nagle to end the game — and the Huskies’ best season in school history.

“To have the opportunity to put the tying run on first base, we made them have to make plays and they did,” Kedziora said. “(Vogt) made the pitches that she had to and we just fell short today.

“This is a good experience,” added Kedziora, whose team was shooting for its first sectional crown. “We had three freshmen who were starting today. It was nice for them to see what it’s like to get here, what it means to get here, and just how hard it is to get here. I think this will motivate them to work even harder and try to get back here again next year.”