Softball: Naperville Central sweeps Willowbrook
The Naperville Central softball team had been in the doldrums for a few days. The Redhawks were going through a three-game losing streak, including two 2-1 defeats.
But nothing solves softball doldrums like smacking the ball around. On Saturday the Redhawks swept visiting Willowbrook in a doubleheader 7-3 and 16-3 in five innings.
Naperville Central (9-6) finished with 20 hits in the twinbill, including 3 home runs, one of which was a grand slam.
"As a team we have not been hitting the ball well, and coming out and hitting the ball hard helps," said Lauren Anderson who hit two home runs in the opening-game victory, including a solo one in the first and a 2-run shot in the third that put her team up 4-0.
"When you are not hitting I think the key is to not focus on past at-bats and focus on the present ones," Anderson said.
Halle Arends was the winning pitcher in Game 1, going the distance, allowing just 3 hits, 2 earned runs and striking out 12. She set the Willowbrook lineup down in order four innings.
"Halle has been solid for us all week. She's been doing great for us," said Redhawks coach Andy Nussbaum.
Arends also had a strong day hitting. She connected on an RBI double in the 4-run third and came home on Anderson's homer. Her groundout and Katlyn Allen's double to left-center scored two runs in the fourth to push Naperville Central ahead 6-0.
The Warriors (6-6) made their loudest noise of the game in the fifth, scoring three runs to make it 6-3. An RBI single by Katie Pettinger, an RBI groundout by Ree Knudtson and two Redhawks fielding errors led to those runs.
Coach Rachel Karos was pleased with that inning but stressed Willowbrook isn't having enough of them.
"Our approach to the season from the beginning of the season to now is we don't play with the fire that we need to be successful. Ninety-five percent of the time we are a tough team to deal with," she said. "We need to be more consistent."
Naperville Central in Game 2 picked up where it left off from the opener, racking up 8 runs on just 3 hits with the help of two Willowbrook errors to lead 8-0 after the first inning. Grace Biondo smashed a run-scoring double with Arends connecting an RBI basehit and Anderson scoring Biondo with a sacrifice fly.
The Warriors scored their first run the following inning. Amy Bussa singled and Bri Richardson hit her home with a basehit with two outs.
Willowbrook made it 9-3 in the third on a 2-run homer by Knudtson, who scored Pettinger.
Naperville Central hit home plate twice in the fourth with Megan Foster's RBI groundout helping.
The Redhawks' Jacqui Abogado was not only the winning pitcher, but the day ended for Naperville Central when she belted a grand slam homer in the fifth to increase her team's advantage to more than 10 runs and end the game.
Katie Gutsell singled with one out to start things. Biondo followed with a single to right, Anderson reached on an infield hit and Allen's single scored Gutsell. That set the stage for Abogado and what transpired was entirely new to her.
"It's crazy. I had never hit a grand slam," she said.
In the pitching circle she allowed four hits and struck out two.
"My confidence was building the whole game," Abogado said of her pitching.
The Redhawks return to DuPage Valley Conference play Monday at Naperville North. Also Monday, Willowbrook returns to West Suburban Gold action at Morton. Both games start at 4:30 p.m.