Softball: Metea Valley beats Batavia in bottom of seventh inning

What was a pitchers' duel turned into an show of small ball and one huge hit as the Metea Valley softball team prevailed over visiting Batavia 5-4 on Friday.

With the score tied 4-4 in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Mustangs' Morgan Bond reached on a dropped third strike. Nicole Orloff followed with a walk. A wild pitch and passed ball moved Bond to third and the passed ball moved Orloff to second. That set the stage for starting pitcher Rissa Bajusz's groundball that turned into a fielding error. It brought Bond home for the winning run.

Metea (3-0) got heroics just the inning before. Trailing 2-0, catcher Emily Finger sent a 3-2 pitch over the center-field fence to give the Mustangs a 4-2 lead.

"I was looking for a pitch to hit into the outfield. There was just one out and I knew the runners could tag up and get home," Finger said.

Metea managed just one hit over the first five innings. Hits had come pretty consistently during the first two games, according to Finger.

"Batavia was ahead and it was time to get going. We simply got back to what had been working. We were thinking too much," she said.

The Mustangs' first run of the sixth came when Orloff walked and eventually scored on a passed ball. Bajusz reached base on a fielder's choice, and Libby Eichberger walked to set the stage for Finger.

The Bulldogs (2-3) tied the game in the top of the seventh. A single to left by Allison Bahlmann scored Alex Klein, who had reached on an infield hit. Cassidy Carby also reached on an infield hit and later scored on a fielder's choice for Batavia's second run of the inning.

"We have been hitting the last couple of games. We went up later with more confidence and refocused," said Metea coach Kris Kalivas.

With a steady flow of hits not happening early for either team, Batavia coach Torry Pryor had the Bulldogs go to the bunt in the later stages of the game.

"It was my decision. We were not hitting the ball at the beginning. Both (starting) pitchers did a great job," he said.

Batavia got the first run of the game in the fifth. Elizabeth Thayer reached on an infield hit and later scored on Klein's groundball out.

The Bulldogs made it 2-0 in the sixth, Bahlmann connected on her second of three singles in the contest and came home on Thayer's infield hit.

Nevaeh Cruz got the win for Metea in relief. Bajusz, the starting pitcher, struck out 10.

Thayer, the Batavia starting pitcher, stuck out five and set the Metea lineup down in order four times in the first five innings.