Glenbard South back to winning ways

Morton probably could have picked a better day to make a visit to Glenbard South.

The Mustangs came to Glen Ellyn on Saturday morning for a nonconference softball battle against a Raiders squad determined to bounce back from a rare conference setback. And bounce back Glenbard South did - in a big way - using a 7-run fifth inning to finish off Morton 14-4 in 5 innings.

The 11-5 Raiders took to the diamond after a tough 3-2 loss to Illiana Christian on Thursday, the program's first Metro Suburban Conference loss in four years and one that snapped a 41-game league winning streak.

But after 13 hits, 6 walks and a few other runners who reached safely on errors or hit batsmen, the Raiders were feeling pretty good about themselves again.

"We had a tough loss this week, but we came back today," said third baseman Aimee Gerhardt, who was 2-for-3 with a walk and 2 runs scored, one of which came when she moved up a base to third on a passed ball and caught the Mustangs defense napping so she kept on running around third and scored on the play. "Today was really a crucial day for us coming off a tough loss. It was necessary for us to have a big game."

Glenbard South scored in four of the five innings and pressured the Morton (6-12) defense with 6 stolen bases, including two thefts of home. The hosts opened up their big fifth inning with consecutive bunt singles from Tricia Weigand, Payton Carli and Gerhardt, then batted around before Weigand lashed a 2-run double down the right-field line. It was the No. 9 hitter's second hit of the inning, and when Lexie Cross and Holly Taylor came home to score, the game was over via the 10-run rule.

"We took advantage of some situations where they fell asleep and we executed on the bases," Raiders coach Julie Fonda said. "Offensively, I think their approaches at the plate were very good today. We put the ball in play and we hit the ball well with two outs today for sure."

First baseman Danielle Scarpiniti, who missed the start of the season with an ankle injury, had three hits and a walk in her four trips to the plate. "We put it together this game," she said. "As soon as we're on target and we get our bunts going, there's no stopping us. Today we had to bounce back and we did."

There was a scare for the Raiders when pitcher Taylor Carli took a line drive off her arm in the top of the fourth inning. She managed to pick up the ball and throw the runner out to end a Mustangs threat and then toughed it out in the 2-run Morton fifth to finish the game and improve to 6-4 on the year.

"She is a very tough girl," Gerhardt said of her pitcher. "It takes a lot of guts to get back on the mound after that. She just really persevered and did real nice job finishing it off for us."