Softball: St. Charles North edges Lake Park for regional title

The little plays made the difference for St. Charles North Saturday in a 2-1 win over Lake Park in the Class 4A St. Charles North regional championship game.

Center fielder Jordyn Wolfe made perhaps the biggest in the sixth inning. She hustled to get involved in a rundown play and eventually threw home to catcher Sam Hausl to get Julia Caesar by an eyelash that would have plated the tying run.

"We always practice that," Wolfe said. "We always practice the play after the play. I knew they were a good running team and I had to back up and throw home. It was a little high but Sam made a great tag."

With Caesar at second and no outs, Dina Falk bunted down the third base line and beat the throw, then continued to second base to start the rundown that ended with Wolfe's throw home.

After Hausl made the tag on the collision at the plate, she alertly threw back to second base to also get Falk out for a unique double play.

"I didn't even know what was going on, I just heard people yelling," Hausl said. "The adrenaline on that play was crazy."

Hausl made a couple of the little plays herself, twice getting quick jumps on foul balls behind the plate that she caught while crashing into the fence.

The second of those came in the seventh inning when the Lancers had runners at first and second and no outs.

The North Stars then ended the game on the next play, a line drive back to pitcher Jillian Waslawski that she caught and doubled the runner off at first base.

St. Charles North (23-5) will play Elk Grove at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Class 4A Schaumburg sectional semifinals.

It was the third straight regional title for the North Stars, the No. 1 seed in the sectional.

"We all have the same goal to go as far as we can," Wolfe said. "It means a lot to get this win."

No. 7 Lake Park (29-7) took a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Courtney Worcester doubled in Caesar who had reached on an error.

St. Charles North quickly tied the game in its half of the fourth. Amanda James doubled over the center fielder's head and scored on Ali Moberg's smash that Worcester dove for at third base but couldn't quite glove.

The North Stars used small ball to take the lead in the fifth. A single by Maddie Webb, a sacrifice bunt by Allison Hausl and Waslawski's infield single put runners at the corners, and the North Stars executed a double steal for a 2-1 lead.

"Tip your hat to them for good baserunning technique to get that key run," Lake Park coach James Chellson said.

Waslawski (12-3) earned the win. She retired the first 9 batters, allowed 3 hits and no walks or earned runs.

"She is just solid," Poulin said. "She was living inside and not giving them good contact."

Megan McCabe took the loss despite only surrendering 4 hits.

"She was hard to hit," Poulin said. "That's as tough a team as we've seen all year and we've seen some good ones."