Softball: Pavelka pitches Naperville Central over Neuqua

Hannah Meeks ended up being a victim of her own success.

Meeks slugged a home run Monday, helping Neuqua Valley hand Naperville Central its first DuPage Valley Conference loss.

The Redhawks got even Wednesday on their brand new home field, winning a rare 2-0 pitcher's duel while making sure Meeks didn't do any more damage at the plate.

Naperville Central (9-7, 7-1) walked Meeks all three times she came up to hit, including intentional walks her first two at-bats. Both of those came in the Wildcats' two best chances to score, and both times the moves paid off when the Redhawks' Riley Pavelka worked out of the jams.

"We thought we cannot let her beat us," Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum said. "We felt we were going to make someone else beat us."

Neuqua Valley (10-3, 5-2) only mustered a pair of singles off Pavelka, who struck out 10 and the only walks she allowed were to Meeks.

"As the innings went on I was gaining confidence and thought I could finish it," Pavelka said. "I was really happy my changeup was working today and I knew it would help me get out of big innings."

Pavelka also delivered the game-winning RBI, a double to the gap in right-center in the third inning.

She improved to 5-2.

"Riley was on," Nussbaum said. "The best game of her career. She did not look phased at all. That's a good-hitting team she just beat."

Both of the Wildcats hits came in the third, a single from No. 9 hitter Bethany Wilkins and a bunt single by leadoff batter Alexa Carrozza.

Neuqua Valley had runners at second and third with no outs, but Pavelka got a strikeout on a changeup and a pop-up to bring up Meeks, who the Redhawks walked intentionally like they did in the first inning.

Stephanie Hause flew out to right to end the inning, and the only other runner the Wildcats had in the final four innings came when Meeks walked a third time.

"I definitely want to go up there and hit," Meeks said. "They played the game well. They are a great team, and it came down to offensively who had more hits and we came up short in that."

Meeks took the loss despite pitching well herself. She gave up an unearned run in the third and another in the sixth when the Redhawks scratched out a run with a pair of infield singles.

Katie Gutsell, Jacqui Abogado and Faith Biondo all had 2 hits for the Redhawks, and Pavelka's double was the only extra-base hit for either team.

"We learned from our last game and started attacking early on and not get deep in the count," said Gutsell, who also made a pair of outstanding catches in left field.

Gutsell crashed into the fence down the line to catch a foul ball in the first inning, then ended the game by racing in for a diving catch on a sinking liner.

"I was just going all for it," Gutsell said of her first catch. "I knew it would be close to the fence but I wanted to get an out early in the game and start hitting. (On the last catch) I just wanted to secure the win for Riley and the team, give it all I got."

Neuqua Valley fell a game behind in the DVC race but gets another shot at the Redhawks next Thursday.

"That's the inning (the third) we had the bulk of our lineup up and we couldn't get the hits," Wildcats coach Christina Chrencik said. "A close game like this we need to get our hits. It's a tough loss but we will see them again."