Softball: Pagan, Bartlett club South Elgin

The line drive struck Amber Pagan's glove like a missile, and the ball dribbled in front of her - just enough for South Elgin's Alissa Hargett to reach base.

The reaction from Bartlett's starting pitcher? A little laugh.

"I could have made that play," Pagan said later, still chuckling.

Had she done so, she might have walked away with a no-hitter in an 11-1 Bartlett victory Wednesday in Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division softball action at South Elgin.

You see, the play in question occurred in the top of the fifth inning, with 1 out and a 10-run Bartlett lead. The Storm hadn't managed a hit off Pagan, though Hargett walked and scored on a fielder's choice in the third. Two more outs and the Hawks would have won by run rule, and Pagan would have had her gem.

"When I saw the ball, I thought it was coming faster than it was actually going," said Pagan, who had to settle for 1-hitter while striking out 4.

"Her screwball was definitely working," said her catcher, Danielle Kleeman. "They were really coming far inside and screwing with a lot of spin, and her change-up was going really well, too."

Hawks coach Jim Wolfsmith agreed Pagan was dealing, but it was a team effort.

"I thought she did a great job moving the ball," Wolfsmith said. "She had a bunch of 3-ball counts, so she was pitching under pressure. (South Elgin) hit the ball well and she pitched well, but her defense played well behind her."

Bartlett improved to 18-7 overall and 10-2 in the Valley under odd circumstances. The game was pre-empted by the 1-inning conclusion of a suspended game, a contest the Hawks won 19-13. Plus, the games got moved to South Elgin because Bartlett's field wasn't ready due to overnight rains.

None of that mattered to Bartlett, though, which got all the runs it needed with a 4-spot in the second inning against Storm starting and losing pitcher Geneva Pollman, who issued 3 straight walks before a single by Elyse Hickey drove in a pair. Kleeman belted a 2-run homer to deep center in the third, while Pagan contributed a 2-run double in another 4-run fourth.

That made for a long day for South Elgin and coach Brad Reynard, who had to watch his pitchers issue the same amount of walks (7) as hits. Subsequently, the Storm fell to 12-14 and 5-7 with the losses.

"They beat us in every facet of the game - they picked it up better than us, they hit better than us and they obviously pitched better than us," Reynard lamented.

Katie Fornoff, Nina Pavell and Taylor Rotondo each scored a pair for Bartlett.