Softball: Peat, Wauconda knock off Antioch again
Wauconda junior pitcher Rachel Peat rarely showed any emotion in Tuesday's softball game against Antioch.
Even when the Sequoits kept attacking offensively by putting runners on base in the final four innings, Peat remained calm and composed on the mound.
Peat closed out a gusty effort, tossing a complete-game 7-hitter to lead Wauconda to a 9-4 victory over Antioch in Northern Lake County Conference play.
Peat (6-2) worked herself out of several jams, including a bases-loaded situation in the bottom of the sixth, to lead the Bulldogs to their second win over the Sequoits (16-5, 5-2) this spring.
The Bulldogs (11-3, 5-1) gave Peat some cushion by scoring 2 runs in the first and 5 in the third to take a 7-0 lead.
"I really have to thank my offense for lighting it up in those first three innings," Peat said. "My defense made some great plays. It was a challenge. I knew I had to just get through it because we hit really well."
On a sunny but breezy and cold afternoon, the Bulldogs notched a big win in the 2 hour, 15-minute conference game heading into Monday's seeding meeting. Wauconda has three days off before playing at Stevenson on Saturday.
Wauconda coach Tim Orisek said his team battled to get the win, in particular noting the performance of Peat. The Sequoits scored 3 runs in the last two innings.
"We had that big inning and that really separated us," Orisek said. "Everybody contributed and did a great job. Rachel just gutted it out. She made some good pitches when she needed to, and relied on her defense. Getting out to that big lead allowed her to relax and throw strikes and be aggressive. She made good pitches and her defense made good plays. That's good softball."
The Sequoits tried to get some revenge for an 11-9 loss to the Bulldogs on April 26. The Bulldogs had an epic comeback, scoring 9 runs in the bottom of the fifth. But despite a solid effort in the final five innings, the Sequoits couldn't put together a big inning to erase the large deficit.
"We kneecapped ourselves early with bad base running," Antioch coach Anthony Rocco said. "We have to put pressure on them and those mistakes hurt, but this is our worse loss all year."
Koehler sparked the early run-scoring spree, drilling a 2-run home run in the first half to finish with 2 hits off Antioch freshman pitcher Jacey Schuler (13-3).
"My teammates were on base and that really helped me," Koehler said. "This was a huge win for us. We came out strong and that really helped."
Julia Fohlmeister drove in 4 runs for Wauconda.