Long flies help Antioch past Wauconda
Antioch sophomore Jill Foote had some inside information on Wauconda pitching ace Kayla Wedl.
"She's my teammate on the Illinois Chill,'' Foote said Monday.
Wedl was on track for a big conference win over visiting Antioch. The fireballer struck out 14 Sequoits, had a pair of singles and scored 2 runs. The Bulldogs led 4-0 heading to the fourth inning.
Wedl had allowed just 1 hit entering the Antioch fourth. Antioch shortstop Jessica Pedersen led off the frame with the second hit. And then her teammate from summer softball, Foote, cracked a 2-run homer.
On inning later, Foote's teammate, sophomore Ashley Stephens, went yard with a 3-run homer.
The Sequoits went on to make it 9 wins in 10 games with a come-from-behind 6-4 win in Wauconda.
So what about those two long balls that determined the outcome?
"That was an outside pitch,'' Foote said. "It felt good but I didn't know it would go out."
It was the Antioch third-baseman's second round-tripper of the season. For Stephens, it was her first this spring.
"That was a first pitch,'' Stephens said. "Jessica Pedersen was yelling for me to pick her up. I really like this team. Everyone keeps each other positive."
It just didn't look positive for an Antioch comeback in the first few innings. Wauconda center fielder, Sarah Ricci, laced a 2-run single in the opening frame.
Two innings later, the Bulldogs (8-6) made it 4-0. Wedl had her second hit leading off the frame. Sophomore Mallory Carver drove her home with a hit, and another sophomore, Alexandra Steffens, added a run-scoring single.
After the Foote homer, Wedl settled down with two straight strikeouts. An infield error opened the gates in the fifth inning. Infield hits off the bats of Hannah Skoog and Taylor Schiltz kept the frame alive before the Stephens blast. Foote added a double in the inning before Wedl struck out the side in the sixth inning.
"Give credit to Antioch,'' said Wauconda pitching coach Dave Mills. "They had those two homers. We hit 4 line shots that were caught."
Antioch did flash the leather in this win. In the Wauconda fourth inning, leadoff hitter Taylor McCarthy was robbed off a hit by a dazzling play by Pedersen. Sophomore Hayley Redmann then hit a bullet to center on which Skoog made an over-the-shoulder catch near the fence.
"We are young,'' said Antioch coach Anthony Rocco. "But we have athletes. We knew had a chance against Wedl. We always did better against her at the end of games."
Foote was the lone Sequoits batter with more than a hit. She also had the team's two extra-base hits.
Wedl was the lone Bulldogs player with 2 hits. She also walked.
Antioch had solid relief work from yet another sophomore, Hannah Cook. She retired seven straight heading to the seventh, when Wauconda loaded the bases with two walks and an infield hit from Brooke Sefcik. Carver lined to shortstop to end this exciting NSC Prairie matchup.