Kaneland's Vest fires 1-hitter to beat Geneva

Delani Vest was close to flawless for Kaneland on Tuesday afternoon.

In Western Sun Conference softball action in Geneva, Vest, the Knights' sophomore ace and leadoff batter, went 3-for-3 at the plate and nearly no-hit the Vikings.

Julie Orwig had an infield single in the fifth inning, the only hit Geneva secured off Vest, and Andrea Dimmig-Potts' one-out, bases-loaded single in the sixth supplied all the offense Vest would need in the Knights' 2-0 victory.

Vest scored behind Sam Hansen, the Knights' defensive ace on the wind-swept afternoon, after Dimmig-Potts rifled the 2-run single between the legs of hard-luck Geneva starter Kristyn Ruitenberg (6-4).

"We knew we were going to see a better (Kaneland) team than the first time we played," Geneva coach Greg Dierks said of the teams' first meeting, a Geneva victory, in which Vest was rested. "Vest was good enough that we had to be perfect (to win)."

Vest was perfect for Kaneland (10-6 overall, 5-4 in the league) the first time through the Geneva (13-13, 6-3) lineup, but the Vikings' defense made sure the pitchers' battle between Vest and Ruitenberg stayed the course.

Claire Stribling gunned down Vest attempting to steal second after the sophomore led off the game with the first of her three infield singles; Brittany Davis met the same fate in the Knights' second when she was tagged out at third trying to stretch a leadoff double into a triple.

Stacey Cladis reached on an infield error to start the Vikings' fourth, but Hansen braved the conditions - gusting winds from right to left field, a high sky and brilliant sunshine - on back-to-back deep drives to left field by the Vikings' Melissa Barber and Elana Wright to preserve the scoreless game.

"The wind was tough, but I just had to wait on it to see where (the balls) would go," Hansen said.

"I thought their left fielder played a very good game," Dierks said. "She handled the wind very well."

Hansen, the Knights' ninth-place hitter, coaxed a key walk off Ruitenberg with one out in the sixth.

Vest came to the plate next and continued her game-long strategy of slapping to the left side to utilize her speed from the left side.

"I used to run track," said Vest, who improved to 8-5 on the season by striking out eight. "I have probably only been slapping for about a year. (My travel club teammates) told me to look for the shortstop cheating toward second (base). That's what happened."

Hansen moved into second while Vest easily beat the throw to first; the bases were soon loaded when freshman Allyson O'Herron walked.

Dimmig-Potts then had the last of the Knights' 5 hits, a solid single up the middle, to plate Hansen and Vest.

Vest completed her 1-hit gem by overcoming a two-out error in the sixth and a pair of walks in the seventh.

"I don't like walking people," Vest said. "It was probably one of my better (starts) of the season."