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Softball: West Aurora just keeps rolling along

The shutouts keep piling up for West Aurora's softball team.

Junior pitcher Hannah Beatus improved her mound mark to 12-1 by tossing a 4-hitter as the Blackhawks (25-1, 15-0) recorded their sixth consecutive shutout with Thursday's 7-0 whitewash of Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division foe South Elgin (14-15, 7-8) in Aurora.

During their current 16-game winning streak, the Blackhawks have been downright stingy in the circle.

Pitchers Libby Zoppa, freshman Payton Lundberg and ace Beatus have combined for 10 shutouts in the Blackhawks' last 11 games.

"It's almost surreal thinking about it," said Blackhawks coach Randy Hayslett. "We've just got to keep going about our business. The wins are more important along with how well you play.

"There are teams who are going to hit Hannah (Beatus) and put it in play. That doesn't bother us at all. We love the idea of playing defense."

West Aurora grabbed a quick 4-0 lead in the second inning, benefiting from a misplayed fly ball off the bat of leadoff hitter Carley Frauenhoff.

After a single by Jamie McCreedy and wild pitch moved runners to second and third, Alexis Faxon knocked a 2-run single up the middle for a 2-0 advantage.

One batter later, Beatus helped her own cause by clubbing a 2-run home run to right-center.

"I think she has gotten better each year as a pitcher but I think she has gotten better as a hitter, too," Hayslett said of Beatus. "The reason she hits leadoff is because she has a high OPS (on base plus slugging) and she's a good baserunner."

The Blackhawks padded their lead with a 3-run fourth.

Sarah Hansen led off the frame with a double and scored on Cara Jimenez's infield single. Frauenhoff and Zoppa added RBI base hits for the red-hot Blackhawks.

"It's just so much fun winning and being with each other," said Frauenhoff. "We'll be talking about it all day at school - 'all right, it's game day.' "

South Elgin's best scoring chance came in the sixth when it loaded the bases with nobody out on an Alexa Rogalla walk, an Amber Derr single, and Mariah Spivey's bunt single.

However, Beatus worked out of the jam, thanks to a 1-2-3 double play and fly ball to left.

"That was a great 1-2-3 double play," said Hayslett. "Sometimes I think Hannah likes the pressure situations more. Not that she walks anybody on purpose but she needs to get battle-tested. She likes that to a certain extent."

Freshman pitcher Geneva Pollman suffered the loss for the Storm.

"I thought she threw one of her best games today," said South Elgin coach Brad Reynard. "She deserved a better fate. Against a good team like this, it's something she can build off in the future.

"We've got to find a way no matter who is pitching," Reynard said of the sixth-inning opportunity. "That's the name of the game. If you want to be the best, you've got to beat the best."

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