Waubonsie Valley comes back for No. 17
It wasn't looking good for the Waubonsie Valley softball team.
There were two outs in the bottom of the seventh of their game Tuesday at home against Neuqua Valley. The Wildcats were leading 4-1.
The Warriors' grip on sole possession of first place in the Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division was slipping. The chances of extending their winning streak to 17 games were fading.
But this is Waubonsie Valley, where a lead on the Warriors isn't absolutely safe until the final out of the game.
The Warriors (23-5, 13-1) tagged the Wildcats for 4 runs in the bottom of the seventh to win 5-4 and increased their division lead to two games.
Winning pitcher Shannon Hohman connected on the game-winning hit. Her single to center on the first pitch, her third hit of the game, and a subsequent fielding error by Neuqua on the play cleared the bases for 3 runs and secured the win.
"It's great to beat our rival school especially when they are having a great season," she said. "I feel like we're a Cinderella team. This is our 17th win in a row and there have been four or five games that we won in the sixth or seventh innings."
Layne Thresh started Waubonsie's rally with a single to right center. Subsequent basehits followed by Jordan Kurth and Melaina Koulos to load the bases. The fourth hit of the inning, a single by Amanda Lack, scored Thresh and cut Neuqua's lead to 4-2, setting the stage for Hohman.
"I didn't have the only game-winning hit. All four hits in front of me won the game," Hohman said. "We were talking in the dugout that we dug ourselves a hole and we needed to dig our way out."
Until the sixth inning, the game was scoreless and relatively uneventful with each team collecting 3 hits apiece.
Neuqua (15-11, 11-3) jumped out to a 2-0 advantage in its half of the sixth. A single to short right by Jenny Budds and a double to left by Jamie O'Brien put runners on second and third with just one out. O'Brien also finished with three hits.
Dominica Lange's sacrifice fly scored Budds and Colleen Hill's double to center, her second hit of the contest, scored O'Brien.
Waubonsie made it 2-1 in its half of the sixth. Hohman singled to right. Meghan Grannan followed with another single, with a Neuqua Valley fielding error on the play, which brought home the run.
In the seventh inning RBI infield hits from Budds and O'Brien pushed the Wildcats ahead to 4-1. Budds and Julia Huebner also finished with 2 hits apiece. Melaina Koulos had 2 hits for Waubonsie.
"I was talking to my assistant (Jared Folley) before the (seventh) inning and we both said they can do it. They've done it before," said Waubonsie coach Valerie Wood. "And we were getting hit after hit and then Shannon came up."
The Warriors are right back in the UEC schedule Wednesday playing host to West Chicago and have four conference games remaining after that contest.
"Waubonsie got 5 hits in a row and they did what they needed to do," said Neuqua coach Melissa Wilson. "With two outs Waubonsie is still going to battle. It stinks that we lost, but it was a well-played game by both teams. The girls are frustrated. They worked hard for this win."
The Wildcats play host to Plainfield North on Wednesday and return to league play Friday with a home game against West Chicago. Neuqua will have four UEC games remaining after the West Chicago contest.