Softball: O’Grady powers Grant past Grayslake North

A pair of major injuries forced Riley O’Grady to spend her freshman softball season at Grant as the team manager.

Now O’Grady is back and managing to put a big hurt on softballs like she did in Tuesday’s Northern Lake County Conference game at Grayslake North.

O’Grady’s four line drives in 4 at-bats resulted in 3 doubles, her sixth homer of the season and 7 RBI. Grant (13-7, 4-2) had 10 of its 18 hits go for extra bases in a 21-8 victory in 5 innings.

“I was just focused on waiting back and getting my eyes on the ball and staying focused and in the game,” said O’Grady, who missed last year with a torn meniscus in her knee from wrestling and a torn labrum in her shoulder. “The nice weather helps.

“We’re definitely a really good offensive team. Sometimes we get to little plateaus a little bit, but when we’re on, we’re really good and we score a lot of runs.”

Winning pitcher McKenzie Zamora went 4-for-5 with 2 doubles and an RBI as North (12-6, 4-2) was missing its top two pitchers to injuries in freshmen Riley O’Brien and Grace Hoker. O’Brien is 8-1 with a 1.92 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 62 innings.

Ella Masak hit a 2-run homer to cap an 8-run second inning and had an RBI double in a 9-run fifth. Whisper Hunt and Grayce Haschak also had 2 hits apiece, Bri Lopez had a 3-run double and 3 walks and Kahrsten Geary, Kaylin Worley and Leigha Koch gave everyone in the starting lineup a hit.

“We’re trying to get to the point, and obviously we didn’t see their best pitcher, where it shouldn’t matter and offensively we’re doing what we’re trained to do,” said Grant coach Chris Van Alstine. “We did a great job today letting the ball get to our back thigh area.

“Riley O’Grady is one of the strongest players I’ve ever coached. She was destroying everything.”

North also had success at the plate to get within 9-3 after three and finish with a 5-run fifth. Kendall Joy went 2-for-3 with a double and 2 RBI, Lauren Gaeding went 2-for-3, Dakota McLester and Alyson Alvarenga had RBI singles and Brena Dalton had a 2-run double.

Grant surpassed its win total of last season at 12-19.

“It feels different from last year because we have a lot more positive energy,” O’Grady said.

“They enjoy each other and this group has bought into the fact it’s not about, ‘my spot, my spot,’” Van Alstine said. “They do what they’re asked and play for each other. We didn’t lose a ton of people but the mindset changed.”

Getting Riley O’Grady back hasn’t hurt.