Softball: Svigelj, Tigers top Cary-Grove
Crystal Lake Central pitcher Katie Svigelj absorbed a line drive to the stomach off the bat of Cary-Grove's Allison Garski in the bottom of the sixth inning Thursday.
Svigelj was down, but not for long.
The Tigers senior gathered herself, collected the ball next to her and threw over to first base from her knees for the final out. Svigelj then ran back to Central's dugout excited and ready to finish what she started.
The fiery pitcher completed a 1-2-3 seventh with her 10th and 11th strikeouts as the Tigers defeated the Trojans 4-1 in their Fox Valley Conference game.
"The vibe and way she plays her game is so smooth," Tigers junior catcher Giada Motto said. "She's always smiling, which makes everyone else so hyped up. And I think that's pretty special, too. We really missed her last year."
Svigelj missed her entire junior season after tearing an ACL and meniscus and undergoing reconstructive knee surgery. Thursday was her second start of the year for the Tigers (2-3, 1-1 FVC), winners of two in a row after an 0-3 start.
"I was like, 'I've got to get the out,' " Svigelj said of the comebacker in the sixth. "It hurt, but you know, I've had three knee surgeries, and that hurts more. I was thinking, 'Get the out first, and then we'll worry about me getting hit.' "
Svigelj allowed a run on seven hits in seven innings with three walks and 11 strikeouts. The only run scored against her came in the sixth on a two-out double from Katelyn O'Malley, the batter immediately before Garski.
Even Cary-Grove coach Tammy Olson was impressed by the toughness displayed by Svigelj.
"She takes that ball off Garski, and she goes right back at it," Olson said. "She's a tough kid."
Svigelj, who pitches right-handed and bats left-handed, also helped jump-start a four-run bottom of the third for the Tigers, smacking an opposite-field triple off the right field fence. After a walk by Makayla Malone and an RBI single by Gianna Carone (3 for 3), Motto pulled a ball that hit high off the left field fence to bring in two and give the Tigers a 3-0 lead.
Motto added Central's fourth run of the inning, scoring in a rundown.
"I was originally looking for an outside pitch, so I thought if I got up on the plate a step or two, I'd get that pitch again," Motto said. "Instead, I got an inside pitch, so I just backed off a little. It was a screwball inside, and I just turned on that thing.
"It was a guess, but it was a good one."
Cary-Grove (2-3, 1-2) threatened with runners on second and third and two outs in the fifth, but Svigelj struck out No. 3 hitter Maddie Crick to get out of the jam.
Central coach Brian Strombom said the whole team is thrilled to have Svigelj back.
"She means an an awful lot," Strombom said. "Emotionally, she's a leader for us. She's a positive kid in general, and we respond to that. We're just happy she's fully healthy again and she's able to give us the effort she gave today."
Becca Weaver threw four scoreless innings of relief for the Trojans, allowing only a hit with 10 strikeouts and a walk.
The Trojans have alternated wins and losses to start the season. Olson would like to see her players be a little more aggressive at the plate.
"Once we opened up our strike zone a little bit, we started executing," OIson said. "And that's what we have to do. That's been our biggest problem so far. We're being way too selective and not swinging the bat when we need to."
Svigelj, who committed to Loras in Dubuque, Iowa, in November, is thankful to get a fully healthy season with her team.
"Especially my senior year, this means a lot," Svigelj said. "Being out last year, I had to work really hard to get to where I'm at today. It's so important that I take the opportunity and time I have with my team and really soak it all in."