Heubner's 2 HRs lift Wheaton Academy
There's something about the Elgin Sports Complex that agrees with Wheaton Academy senior Bekah Heubner.
Last year, Heubner belted two home runs against St. Edward at the complex. Monday, she did the same thing, with one of her two bombs over the fence a grand slam, as the Warriors downed St. Edward 19-7 in a Suburban Christian Conference softball game played in a dusty gale force wind.
“There just must be something about this place,” laughed Heubner, who was 4-for-5 on the day with 4 runs scored. “I felt confident up there and I just tried to focus.”
After each team scored twice in the first inning, Wheaton Academy (2-5, 1-1 distanced itself from the Green Wave with a 7-run second inning. St. Edward senior Morgin Coughlin had control problems, walking four in the inning, and Heubner's one-out bases-loaded blast made it a 9-2 game.
The Warriors pounded out 16 hits off two St. Edward pitchers. Sophomore Marissa Gagliano was 2-for-5 with 3 stolen bases and an RBI, senior Caitlin Koehler had 2 hits and an RBI, freshman Jess Bosse had 2 hits and 2 stolen bases, sophomore winning pitcher Michelle Ridderhoff had 3 hits with a double and 4 RBI and freshman Megan Herring had 2 hits and 2 stolen bases.
“We're getting better every day,” said Wheaton Academy coach Laura Frost. “We're trying to make it a habit. There's a lot of fundamentals that we're pounding into them and we're getting better. We're figuring out what works for us and we're clicking as a team.
St. Edward didn't lack offense. The Green Wave (1-6, 1-1) had 12 hits, but their defense committed 8 errors.
Senior Kali Kossakowski was 3-for-3 with 4 stolen bases for St. Edward, while sophomore Julie Larson went 3-for-4, including a double and her first career over-the-fence home run, a 2-run blast to left field in the seventh inning. Ashley Gradisher returned to the Green Wave lineup from a broken nose and had a double and an RBI and Maddie Kerr was 3-for-4 with an RBI.
“We're hitting the ball and scoring runs just fine,” said St. Edward coach Jaci Corn. “But our defense let us down again and if we're going to compete with teams the rest of this season we're going to have to start playing better defense. It's that simple.”