Gosbeth’s hot hitting carries W. Chicago over Saints
Amanda Gosbeth does not appear to be a traditional leadoff batter.
The West Chicago junior was seemingly in an incongruous situation, batting first while playing catcher. But the West Chicago softball team sure did not seem to mind.
In the Wildcats’ opener against St. Charles East in a morning-afternoon spring break doubleheader, Gosbeth went 4-for-4 with a home run and triple, scoring an equal number of runs to power her team to a 7-3 victory over the Saints Wednesday in St. Charles.
St. Charles East (2-2) did manage to salvage the nightcap against West Chicago (5-2) as Shannon Pedersen scattered 3 hits in a complete-game 1-0 shutout.
Casey Basic had a one-out, bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth to produce the only run of the game for the Saints.
“I was really in the game today,” Gosbeth said of her flawless opener in which she singled and scored in the first and second, only to add solo blast in the sixth after a triple in the fourth.
“I saw the ball really well. (The home run into the teeth of a gusting crosswind to deep left-centerfield) felt great.”
“We just put (Gosbeth in the leadoff spot) the other day,” West Chicago coach Kim Wallner said. “We have not been hitting quite that well.”
But Gosbeth opened the game with a bloop single to right field, and Morgan Dastych delivered her for the first run three batters later.
Rachel Johnson then made sure St. Charles East would have other ideas about a potential uprising.
The slick-fielding West Chicago shortstop had the key hit of the game: a two-out, second-inning double that increased the Wildcats’ cushion to 4-0.
“I figured with the wind (hurting a right-handed pull hitter) I had to take it to the opposite field,” Johnson said of her drive to the base of the right-field fence. “I knew it was clutch because we needed those insurance runs.”
Tarah Rayos’ one-out triple in the second began the Wildcats’ 3-run outburst, and the Saints were conversely unable to solve West Chicago right-hander Alex Wiest (3-0).
Shelby Palmores’ leadoff single broke up the no-hit bid in the sixth, and the Saints’ Holtz had a run-scoring double to cancel any thoughts of a shutout.
St. Charles East drew to within 6-2 on the first of 2 unearned runs in its half of the fifth, but the improbable blast by Gosbeth, her first home run of the year, quickly restored the Wildcats’ cushion in the sixth.
The Wildcats finished with 12 hits to the Saints’ three.
“West Chicago never has a down year,” St. Charles East coach Kelly Horan said. “I grew up in this area (Glen Ellyn). They’re just a well-coached team with great ballplayers. If you’re going to model your team after someone, they would be the one.”