Kirker, Jacobs top Dundee-Crown for Bauer’s 200th
It’s been a long road back to the softball field for Jacobs senior Katie Kirker. And while she’ll be the first to admit she’s not all the way back, each passing day is getting better.
Kirker followed up 8 innings of 1-run softball on Saturday against Fremd with a 7-hit, 8-strikeout, no walk effort Monday in Jacobs’ 7-2 Fox Valley Conference Valley Division win over Dundee-Crown in Carpentersville.
The win was the 200th of Jeremy Bauer’s softball coaching career at Jacobs.
It didn’t come without some anxious early moments for the Golden Eagles (12-9, 3-2). The visiting Chargers (5-12, 1-5) took a 3-1 lead in the top of the third inning with sophomore Mandy Moore driving in 2 runs with a single up the middle after Cindy Collingbourne had singled and Melany Love doubled. But Kirker (3-0) allowed only 2 more hits after that and Jacobs scored 4 runs in the bottom of the third to take control. Kirker, who will play at Judson University next year, allowed D-C only one baserunner as far as third base after the third inning.
“Everything’s going pretty well getting back into things,” said Kirker, who missed her sophomore and junior seasons with an ACL injury then several games this spring with a groin injury. “It’s been really hard sitting on the bench and waiting. It’s my senior year and really this is my only (high school) season. I didn’t realize how many games I had missed. It’s tough knowing where I was and not being able to perform every single game to my potential. It’s frustrating. I should be happy with where I’m at but it’s frustrating knowing what I can do. I just have to work hard to get my endurance up.”
Bauer, now in his ninth season at Jacobs, appreciates where his senior right-hander is coming from.
“She’ll be the first to admit she’s not all the way there yet,” he said. “Saturday was a great trial run for her. She just needs to work on a couple things and get her stamina back.
“We’re pleased with where we’re at as a team and where she’s at. Most people would look at 12-9 as not being very impressive but we’ve beaten some good teams. Our strength of schedule will help us in the long run.”
The Golden Eagles’ winning third inning started with Alyssa Lach ripping 1 of her 2 doubles. She scored on Maggie Hansen’s single to tie the game and Nicky Chapa sacrificed Hansen to second. After a pop up out, Kaitlyn Woloszyk beat out an infield hit. Love, D-C’s starting pitcher, then struck out Tori Berg for the third out but the ball got past D-C’s catcher, Berg reached first and Hansen scored what turned out to be the game-winning run. McKayla Lein and Jacquelyne Hengler, who had scored Jacobs’ first run in the first on a wild pitch, then followed with RBI singles and the Golden Eagles had a 5-2 lead.
“We broke down physically and mentally,” said D-C coach Tracy Beatty. “At 2-1 I thought we were back in it and then a couple defensive errors just flattened us. If we get that third out in the second inning the ballgame is 2-2. I felt like that was the turning point. We’re working on the fundamentals but it’s been a struggle for us.”
Jacobs added a run in the fourth. Lach doubled, took third on a wild pitch and scored on another. In the sixth, Chapa doubled and scored on Woloszyk’s single up the middle, securing Bauer’s 200th win and setting off a silly string party that turned into a water cooler dunking and a victory cake.
“I was caught a little off guard,” said Bauer of the celebration. “I thought there might be cookies or something. This was nice. I’m the first to admit it’s the quality of the people we’ve had here. It hasn’t had much to do with me.”