Naperville Central pulls out 1-0 win against Waubonsie Valley

Megan Silke didn't see the ball roll past Waubonsie Valley's left fielder. She just reacted to the yells to keep going.

"I didn't think I'd make it to third, didn't know the ball was coming in when everybody was telling me to get down," said the Naperville Central catcher. "I just kept running."

Silke scored all the way from first on a misplay in the outfield, the difference in a 1-0 Redhawks win on Thursday in Naperville.

With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Silke lined a single to left. The ball skipped by the Warriors' left fielder - and with Naperville Central's outfield fence not installed yet - didn't stop rolling. Silke chugged home ahead of the throw.

"I'm not the fastest runner," Silke said, "but I got there somehow."

"We haven't been happy that we don't have the fence in yet," Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum said, "but it was kind of the difference in the game. If there's a fence, Megan's not going to score on that."

The unearned run was the lone hiccup for what was a feel-good return to the mound for Waubonsie Valley junior Lindsey Jozefowicz. Jozefowicz (0-1) missed all of last season with an elbow injury that required surgery. She took the fall off with elbow tendinitis.

Jozefowicz yielded just 4 hits and a walk while striking out three.

"This is my first time throwing a whole game since my freshman year," Jozefowicz said. "Physically I felt good. It was just the nerves."

Coming off a seven-win season, count Warriors coach Kris Kalivas among those rejoicing over Jozefowicz's return.

"As you can see we have a whole different look," Kalivas said. "One mistake got us today, but I think we have a lot of things to build on."

Silke, a former travel softball teammate of Jozefowicz's, knew the Redhawks were facing a different Waubonsie Valley team. She also knew she had the girl on the mound to meet the challenge.

Coming off a combined no-hitter of Bolingbrook in Tuesday's season opener, Naperville Central senior Natalie Wunderlich (2-0) struck out 13 in a 4-hit shutout. Her first hit allowed this season was a bleeder up the third-base line that hit the grass in foul territory and pushed fair.

But Wunderlich stranded two baserunners in both the fourth and sixth innings, turning to her knuckle curve out pitch on the corner backed up by a screwball running in on right-handers.

"Last year I left my old pitching coach and started with a new one and this was my second year with him. He stresses movement a lot," Wunderlich said. "Another year with him I think helped a lot. I'm stronger and a lot more confident."

"She's not bad as far as speed goes," Nussbaum said, "but she's got real good movement on the ball. That's her forte right now."