Waubonsie Valley escapes Geneva with rain-shortened win

Shannon Hohman was looking to make amends.

The Waubonsie Valley senior hurler had given up her second 2-run home run of the Warriors' Class 4A regional semifinal against host Geneva on Thursday afternoon when she arrived at the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Audria Wagenknecht had scored on an error on the previous play, and Hohman gave her team - and herself - some insurance with a lined shot off the center-field fence to score Layne Thresh.

Geneva had a promising at-bat in its seventh when McKenna Schimmel opened the inning with a ringing double to left-center.

But the junior would be the final hitter in Geneva as heavy rains accompanied the second lightning delay.

Waubonsie Valley was awarded a six-inning 6-4 victory.

The Warriors (27-7), the fifth seed of the Oswego East sectional complex, established a new program record for wins in a season.

Waubonsie Valley will face either fourth-seeded Naperville Central or No. 13 Oswego on Saturday morning for the championship.

Geneva, the No. 11, seed had its season close at 23-11.

"There is a rule 4.32," Waubonsie Valley coach Valerie Wood said. "It reverts to the last complete inning (played). It could definitely not have gone our way."

"They were mistake pitches - and (the Vikings' Anna Geary and Annika Radabaugh) hit them," Hohman said of the twin 2-run home runs. "They hit them hard. I put my team in a tough position. Luckily my bat came alive."

Hohman personally responded to the Geary home run - a towering shot in the top of the third that hit the top of the foul pole - with a solo shot of her own to right-center.

Waubonsie Valley had staked Hohman to a 3-run lead in the first; Hohman added a sacrifice fly to augment earlier runs by Thresh and Jordan Kurth.

The Warriors had Geneva on the ropes in their half of the fifth inning as the bases were loaded with none out.

But Geneva reliever Emily Plocinski escaped without any further damage.

"That was huge," said Geary. "We have struggled this year with giving up big innings."

Radabaugh then hit a no-doubter in the Vikings' sixth to tie the game at 4-4.

Kaitlyn Plocinski began the inning with a double for Geneva.

"I was just kind of thinking to hit the ball hard and see where it goes," Radabaugh said.

But Wagenknecht was hit by a pitch to start the Warriors' sixth, and Thresh had a perfect bunt single to set the state for the Warriors' 2-run response.