Softball: Ruggles, Dundee-Crown dump Crystal Lake South
Tough start. Great finish.
That would describe Dundee-Crown senior Sydney Ruggles' outing in a Fox Valley Conference softball game at Crystal Lake South Thursday afternoon.
After giving up a run on 2 hits in the first inning, Ruggles blanked the host Gators on 3 hits during the final six innings as the Chargers posted a 4-1 win.
Ruggles, who retired 14 straight hitters during the game, struck out 10 while walking one in 7 innings of work. The D-C defense committed one harmless error behind the Charger senior hurler.
"It was a rocky start for me and I just couldn't get in any rhythm in the first inning," said Ruggles, a Loyola recruit. "I couldn't spot and locate my pitches. I settled down and my riseball was really working with movement. My defense was outstanding behind me. They made all the plays. It was a good road win against a very good South team."
D-C (3-6, 1-1) struck first with a run in the first on a run-scoring single by Alaina Azar.
The Gators (4-2, 0-1) responded to tie the game in the bottom of inning on a perfectly executed suicide squeeze bunt by losing pitcher Christina Toniolo.
The game was tied until the top of the fifth when the Chargers plated 2 runs on run-scoring singles by Cady English and Claire Weeks while D-C added a run in the sixth on an RBI single by Andrea Conway.
South threatened to score in the seventh as Brooke Kuffel and pinch hitter Hannah Corcoran singled to put runners on first and third with one out. But, Ruggles buckled down and struck out pinch-hitter Jade Guida and Kyra Swartz to end the game.
Weeks and Deanna Origer collected 2 hits each for the Chargers.
"This was our most complete game of the season," said D-C coach Tracy Beatty. "We played well in all facets of the game. Sydney struggled in the first inning but settled down and pitched a great game. We really swung the bats well and had good at-bats all day. Our defense was outstanding behind Sydney. This was a very good road win against a very good South team."
Emily Sulikowski collected 2 hits for the Gators.
"Christina pitched well enough to win but our defense let us down, " said Gator coach Scott Busam. "(Ruggles) is a very talented pitcher with good stuff. We let her execute and dictate her game plan by chasing bad pitches. We needed to dictate a plan with a better approach at the plate and we didn't. I liked the way we battled in the seventh which gave us a shot to tie the game."