Benet shows off power swings
Stephanie Abello goes by the nickname “Slap” and Maeve McGuire is a leadoff hitter by trade.
Don’t be fooled by those descriptions.
McGuire homered in both ends of Benet’s Saturday doubleheader with Marian Catholic, Abello went deep three times in the second game and the No. 3 Redwings swept the Spartans 6-3 and 9-1 in Lisle.
Benet’s first win clinched the outright championship of the East Suburban Catholic Conference, and the Redwings (31-4, 16-2) tied a program win record with the sweep.
But back to the home runs.
McGuire’s two gives her an area-leading 16 for the year, tying ex-Glenbard North star Michelle Batts’ six-year-old DuPage County single-season record. McGuire, who has homered in seven of Benet’s last 12 games, is three shy of tying the state record set by Seneca’s Nicole Pihl last year.
“I’ve just been trying to make contact, because I was in a slump a couple games ago,” McGuire said. “Just trying to hit the ball hard.”
McGuire’s homers haven’t been meaningless add-on jobs, either. She hit a go-ahead homer to beat Carmel and last Saturday homered to lead off both ends of a sweep of Joliet Catholic. In the second inning of Game 1 Saturday, she worked the count full before delivering a majestic drive that carried over the fence in center for a three-run shot, making it 4-0. Game, set, match.
The swing looked effortless off the bat, but McGuire followed through well.
“I’ve been working on getting my extension and using my legs more than I have,” McGuire said. “I really think that’s helped me this year.”
Even by Benet’s standards, Game 2 was an impressive power display.
Julianne Rurka and Abello went deep back-to-back in the first inning. Abello homered to straight center next time up, in the third, and in the fifth inning McGuire hit a solo shot and Abello capped it off with a three-run job, her 13th of the season.
“Everyone has good days and bad days,” shrugged off Abello, noting that the nickname has more to do with her initials than her style of hitting. “Today I hit the three home runs, but every basehit is important. When you get in the batter’s box, you’re just thinking about helping your team.”
Even Benet coach Jerry Schilf was left a little awestruck.
“That’s unbelievable,” Schilf said of the five Game 2 homers, giving Benet 46 on the year. “It’s my team, and I’m amazed. That’s a quality (23-11) Marian Catholic team. Last year they beat us twice.”
What probably comforted Schilf even more as his team gears up for regionals next week was his pitching Saturday. Molly Moran (30-4) scattered 6 hits, 2 walks and 2 hit batters, striking out five, in Game 1 to set a Benet individual win record. In the second game freshman Emily York, making her first varsity start, threw a seven-hitter with 3 strikeouts, none bigger than an inning-ending one in the fifth to get out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam after her defense turned a nifty double play.
“I’m just pleased,” Schilf said. “Emily hasn’t pitched much this year and the girls really rallied behind her. The girls played some great defense and we hit the ball like we’re capable of. Emily kept them off-balance and didn’t give in too much.”
Benet’s two hottest hitters of late, sophomores Rurka and Marissa Panko, didn’t slow down Saturday. Rurka went 2-for-4 with an RBI double in Game 1 and hit the two-run homer in the second game, and Panko had three doubles and 2 RBI over the two games. Both are neck-and-neck leading the area in batting average at .580, both now with 12-game hit streaks.