Softball: Rodriguez, Lake Park notch triumph at Glenbard West
Looking for a little insurance to help secure her first win in the pitching circle, Lake Park's Abby Rodriguez tried hard to not think too much while standing in the batter's box in the sixth inning.
But that can be easier said than done in a tight contest, especially with two strikes. Yet the Lancers pitcher/shortstop kept her composure and lashed a line drive the other way to right field that eluded a diving outfielder. The 2-run triple extended Lake Park's lead over host Glenbard West to 7-3 and paved the way for a 7-4 nonconference victory Tuesday in Glen Ellyn.
"I was starting to get a little nervous, but it just worked out," said Rodriguez, who reached base safely all four trips to the plate, including a pair of walks. "I kind of just try and calm myself down and think that it's just two strikes and then swing away. Don't over swing. Don't over think it."
The late runs helped secure the win for Rodriguez, who allowed 3 runs on 6 hits in four innings against the Hilltoppers before handing the ball over to sophomore Abbey Frank. Frank picked up the save for the 3-3 Lancers.
"I thought I did pretty good with the (cold weather) conditions, and with the turf field, we're not really used to that and the bounces," she said. "I feel like we came out pretty well."
Lake Park scored twice in the first with a two-out rally that started with a walk by Rodriguez and was followed by a single from Emily Frank and a 2-run hit off the bat of shortstop Gwen DeWaele.
The visitors scored three more times in the third for a 5-1 lead with the aid of a pair of Hilltoppers errors and an RBI double to the wall in right-center by catcher Mel Bogus.
But Glenbard West (0-3), which hadn't played in two weeks, battled to the end. The Hilltoppers closed to within 5-3 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth after three singles were followed by an error and Lexi Gregule was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
The Hilltoppers picked up a run in the sixth after Jessica Bongiorno walked and later scored on a wild pitch, but it was not enough offense, especially considering the home team left 11 runners on base.
"We showed a lot of fight today, which I'm pleased with," said Glenbard West coach Mary McGrane. "We left quite a few runners on base, but it wasn't so much that we left runners on base, it was more so that you leave them on when you've got nobody out and we're not putting the ball in play.
"But (we fought), especially after they would score a couple runs, we didn't lay down. We continued to fight. We bounced right back. We got runners on base and that's what we need to do. Now we've just got to push them across."