Connolly, West Chicago start DVC action in impressive fashion

West Chicago took its share of lumps in a beefed-up pre-conference schedule.

The Wildcats were dishing them out Monday.

Winning pitcher Mary Connolly slugged a 2-run first-inning homer to start an 11-hit attack, and No. 15 West Chicago began the DuPage Valley Conference season by beating No. 9 Wheaton North 10-1 at Pioneer Park.

"We've been playing some stiff competition," Connolly said, "but everything we've been working for is paying off. It just came around for us today. It helps us to be 11-5 coming in because it keeps us humble. If we're walking all over teams every day it doesn't make us a better team."

West Chicago coach Emily Johnson has tried a number of different permutations in her lineup over the season's first month. She may have found the right formula.

Connolly unloaded on a 3-1 pitch for a 2-run homer to left to give West Chicago a 2-1 lead, and a Jen Konchar RBI double made it 3-1 after an inning. Izzy Bruce went 2-for-3, reached base three times and drove in 5 runs. No. 8 and No. 9 hitters Jenny Goldsmith and Taylor Kutilek also had 2 hits and scored 2 runs.

Seven of West Chicago's batters reached base at least twice, and the Wildcats didn't strike out once. West Chicago (12-5, 1-0) has won eight straight since an eight-inning loss at Lockport on Good Friday.

"We're close, we're getting close," Johnson laughed, asked if she's found her lineup. "We got the stats right before the game, and it really came down to stats for some of them. We looked at the stats and said we're going to go with the numbers. It went in our favor."

Connolly allowed an unearned run in the first inning - but not much afterward. The DePaul-bound junior struck out eight in a 2-hitter, didn't allow a runner to reach second base after the first inning and retired the last 13 batters she faced. She was quick to credit catcher Kaity Olsen.

"Kaity and I were on the same page. She called a great game," Connolly said. "She was moving the ball, calling different pitches. That's all you can ask for as a pitcher."

Perhaps it was the result of a six-day layoff, but Wheaton North (11-2, 0-1) didn't look like the team that came in riding an 11-game winning streak.

Paige Evangelista singled with one out in the first and came around to score on an error.

But Wheaton North had two runners thrown out at second base in the second inning, committed 3 errors and many other mental miscues in the field.

"I'm not unhappy with the way the girls swung the bats - they hit the ball hard and we had good at-bats," Wheaton North coach Karen Calabrese said. "But once we got on base we were missing signs, and we made more mistakes in the field than we probably have all season.

"We just have to learn from it and not get down. Every team has a game like this at some point in the season."