Naperville Central ends week with sweep of Nequua Valley
Although Naperville Central swept Saturday's softball doubleheader against visiting Neuqua Valley, 5-2 and 5-4, both squads ended their week seeing good things about their respective levels of play.
Redhawks coach Andy Nussbaum was happy at seeing his squad put runs on the scoreboard with more ease than during the week.
"We have struggled until today. We scored 3, 4, 2 and 1 during the week. It was nice to get a few more today," he said.
In the nightcap Naperville Central (7-3) took a 3-1 advantage in the bottom of the third with the help of Lindsay Gonzalez's 2-run single to center. She played a factor in the fifth inning when the Redhawks scored twice to take the 5-4 advantage. Her double to left-center scored Abbey Place, who had singled to left. Gonzalez came home on a fielding error.
Winning pitcher was Sydney Kuderna. She pitched 6 innings and struck out four. Julie Kestas, who won Game 1, came out in the seventh and struck out two to finish the contest and earn the save.
The Wildcats (5-13) had taken a 4-3 lead in their half of the fifth. Danielle Olson led off with a walk. And then with two outs, Molly Price reached on an infield hit and got in a rundown between first and second. Olson scored before Price was tagged for the third out.
Olson's first hit of the game, a single came in the third and she scored when Dominica Lange's single grew bigger thanks to a fielding error on the same play, which scored Olson and put Lange at second.
Neuqua tied the game 3-3 in the fourth when Nicole Dehnel singled with one out and later scored along with Jordyn Diaz, who reached on a fielding error, on a throwing error.Wildcats coach Laura McCarthy said her team has shown signs of progress from the beginning of the season and believes if the progress continues that Neuqua will be where it needs to be come postseason time.
"We're getting a lot of hits late in the game and that's a good sign of character. It shows there's no quit in them," she said. "They're doing the little things. Earlier in the season we would play well and implode one inning. That doesn't happen any more."
Kestas' day began by going the distance, allowing just 3 hits and striking out 7. She struck out the side in the fourth, set Neuqua down in order in the fifth and only 1 Wildcats runner reached base during 4 innings.
"It's definitely a good win after some tough losses this week. I have confidence in the defense. Neuqua has some top hitters in its lineup and I have confidence in the defense to make the plays," she said.
Neuqua had taken a 2-0 lead in the top of the third. Lange's RBI infield hit helped score one of the runs.
The Redhawks responded in their half of the inning when leadoff hitter Lisa Tassi reached base on a hard-hit ball off an infielder's glove for an infield hit. Place singled to left to bring her home.
Naperville Central's second run came in the fourth when Kestas reached on a infield hit and Savanna Schmitz, running for her, scored on Izzy Gomez's well-placed groundball that turned quickly into an infield hit.
Tassi wasn't done for the day. She took a 3-1 pitch over the left-field fence in the fifth for what turned out to be the winning run. She said she has no big secrets to hitting.
"I watch how the pitch goes out of the pitcher's hand and as it comes closer I try to get a good, hard swing on it," Tassi said.
Entering Saturday, Tassi was hitting .600, according to Nussbaum.
Naperville Central got another run that inning when Gonzalez tripled to right scoring Place, who had singled to center. In the sixth Annie Tassi walked and scored on Meredith Siambekos' double to left.