Softball: Prairie Ridge sophomore Mosolino throws no-hitter against Huntley
What a difference a year makes.
Prairie Ridge right-handed pitcher Reese Mosolino didn’t have her best stuff against Huntley a year ago as a freshman.
Monday’s rematch against the Red Raiders, the three-time defending Fox Valley Conference champions, will be a game she remembers for a long time.
The hard-throwing sophomore worked quick and took full advantage of the defense behind her to complete her first high school no-hitter.
After a one-out walk to No. 3 hitter Meghan Ryan in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Wolves’ infield defense turned a 6-4-3 double play to seal the no-hitter and a 1-0 win in the FVC opener for both teams.
It was Prairie Ridge’s first win against the Huntley since May 12, 2017. And it was only Huntley’s second FVC loss since 2021.
Mosolino’s pitching and confidence shined bright Monday.
“I feel like Reese was probably the most confident we’ve ever seen her,” said senior second baseman Mary Myers, who handled all seven ground balls hit her way. “And obviously that makes the whole team proud.”
Prairie Ridge coach Scott Busam said Mosolino looks much more comfortable this year.
“She came out here last season and did not pitch well, and I think that kind of stuck with her,” Busam said. “She came out with something to prove. That version of Reese you saw in the circle today, that’s the most confident looking, ready-to-go Reese I’ve ever seen.”
“She just had that killer-instinct look. That’s when I knew, ‘Oh, we got a shot here.’ ”
Mosolino, who threw 56 of 84 pitches for strikes, didn’t know she had a no-hitter as she entered the final inning. She first learned of it in the postgame huddle.
“I’m happy to see the hard work I put in over the offseason pay off,” said Mosolino, who had four strikeouts. “I felt confident the whole day and knew my stuff was really working. If [Huntley] put it on the field, I knew my teammates would have my back.”
Myers, shortstop Ady Kiddy and first baseman Chloe Lieurance finished the game-ending double play after a one-out walk.
Myers and Kiddy talked beforehand about what they would do if ball was hit to second or short. It all lined up perfectly.
“Always a lot of pressure to play such a good team like Huntley, but I feel like our entire infield has a lot of trust in each other,” Myers said. “I knew they were hitting it to the right side a lot. I just had to be prepared for whatever was coming my way.”
Mosolino retired the first 11 batters in order before Prairie Ridge’s defense committed an error when Kiddy’s throw pulled Lieurance slightly off first base. That would be the only base runner for Huntley (6-4, 0-1) until the seventh.
Prairie Ridge (5-0, 1-0) scored its lone run in the top of the fourth inning after back-to-back singles by Kendra Carroll and Autumn Ledgerwood. Myers sacrificed them both over with a bunt. After a strikeout for the second out, Carroll scored on a wild pitch.
Carroll broke for home and got there just before catcher Madison Rozanski retrieved the ball off the backstop and stretched for home plate.
It was the only run Mosolino would need.
“I was happy with our offensive approach,” Huntley coach Mark Petryniec said. “We put the ball in play, we just hit it right at them. She’s definitely got the real stuff. She looked confident in her approach. We knew what speed was coming. We put the ball in play. If a couple of those get through, it’s hopefully a whole different story for us.”
Huntley junior Gretchen Huber took the loss, allowing just the one run. She struck out nine, walked one and allowed five hits, all singles, over six innings.
Prairie Ridge’s infield defense accounted for 16 of the 21 outs. Left fielder Kylie Carroll made a nice running catch on a hard-hit ball in the third.
“If there ever was a picture of a team victory, that was it,” Busam said. “It’s obviously a big deal when you get a win against Huntley. But to win in that fashion where everybody is involved and lifted each other up, I’m just so proud of how they played today.”