Softball: Huntley's Bower no-hits St. Charles East
It requires a little extra defensive focus when sophomore Bri Bower pitches for Huntley.
As many people as Bower strikes out, it's understandable if the players behind her could be lulled ever so slightly.
"It can get you back on your feet a little bit but you have to stay up on your toes because you never know when they are going to hit the ball," Huntley first baseman Grace Kutz said.
St. Charles East didn't put the ball in play much when two of the best teams - and pitchers - in the area squared off Saturday morning in Marengo.
Bower fanned 16 Saints while throwing her third no-hitter of the young season, leading the Red Raiders to a 9-0 victory.
Already with perfect games against Belvidere North and Dundee-Crown, Bower was just as dominant against a Saints squad that entered at 9-2.
"She had a nice little day today," Huntley coach Mark Petryniec said. "As a sophomore she's doing what we expect. You want to get better every day."
The teams met as part of Marengo's tournament that brought in some of the top pitchers in Illinois. Huntley (13-4) lost its next game 10-0 to Pontiac.
But against St. Charles East (9-5) the Red Raiders could do no wrong. Facing the Saints' own sophomore ace, Katie Arrambide, Marley Reicher singled with one out in the first, took second when Sofia Tenuta walked and scored on a two-out double by Kutz.
"I just knew I had to get the runs in so we could get the team started," Kutz said.
After taking a 2-0 lead in the second, the Red Raiders flexed their muscle in the third on back-to-back home runs by Teagan O'Rilley and Kutz.
Bower homered in the fourth, and after Tenuta and O'Rilley opened the fifth with singles, Saints coach Jarod Gutesha replaced Arrambide with Izzy Howe.
"The difference often times when you get good pitching is who gets home runs to clear the bases," Gutesha said. "They did."
Huntley wasn't done with the long ball as Kutz blasted a grand slam in the sixth. She finished 3-for-3 with 6 RBI.
That was more than enough for Bower who walked just one, Kati Gheorghe in the third, losing her after getting ahead 0-2. Arrambide reached on Huntley's only error before Bower struck out Maddy Stout to end the Saints' lone threat of the game.
Bower didn't allow another runner to reach base. Facing 3-4-5 in the seventh, Bower got a nice catch from Kutz in foul territory to start the inning. Alex Wooten fouled off several 2-strike pitches before Bower reared back and brought just a little more to throw it past Wooten for strike three. Bower also threw her heat to strike out Paige Ligocki and end the game.
"I just knew I had to throw my best and bring it today," Bower said. "It just tells me I need to use my legs a little more."
Bower and O'Rilley both added 2 hits, though Huntley ran into Pontiac's Regan Krause in the next game who struck out 14 of the 16 hitters she faced in a 5-inning no-hitter.
"We play in these games to help prepare us," Petryniec said. "The team is starting to click a little bit, the weather is getting a little warmer and hopefully good things are coming."
St. Charles East lost its other two games Saturday, 9-2 to Pontiac and 8-2 to Ottawa.