Post by Homer Hawks Site Administrator on Apr 30, 2007 8:32:34 GMT -5
Silke smooth vs. St. Charles North
Daily Herald Reports
Posted Sunday, April 29, 2007
Sara Silke did about as much as one player can do to help a team win a game.
She went 3-for-4 at the plate for the Naperville Central softball team as it took on St. Charles North on Saturday in St. Charles, ripping 2 doubles and driving in 3 runs.
That would usually be enough out of one person but Silke also threw a 2-hitter in which only one North Star touched second base. She struck out 11 and didn’t walk anybody as she led the Redhawks to a 4-0 victory in Game 1.
Naperville Central also won the second game 10-4.
“Oh man, what a game she had,” said Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum. “She hit the ball well, she threw the ball well, and she was just outstanding today.”
Naperville Central (11-5) got off to a quick start when Lizzy Ploen hit a bloop single just out of reach of North Stars second baseman Sarah Korth. Ploen stole second and Katie Thomas it a ball to the hole on the left side of the infield that St. Charles North shortstop Brooke Jaeger knocked down, but Ploen scored on aggressive baserunning and Thomas went to second on the throw to the plate.
Silke then stroked her first double of the day to the left-field corner to stake herself a 2-0 lead.
“They were getting hits where we just couldn’t get to them,” said St. Charles North coach April Stary.
St. Charles North (4-11) starting pitcher Christine Truesdell (2-6) settled down from that point and scattered 6 hits over the next 6 innings.
“She did well,” Stary said. “This is her first full game this year and we have no complaints with her. She settled down and was able to get them to do what we needed her to do which is hit the ball where we’re at.”
Silke (5-2) didn’t need much help from her teammates, but she got it. In the fourth inning Jen Albert made a great diving catch coming in on an attempted bunt. On the very next play Maggie Buoy robbed Jessica Swanson of a sure extra base hit with a diving grab in right field.
“My teammates do that a lot, they’ve been doing it all season,” Silke said.
“She’s a tough pitcher and when you get a better pitcher you need to step it up a little bit,” Stary said. “Our kids were doing what they could to try and catch up and we started hitting the ball. They just weren’t dropping.”
Silke gave herself a little cushion with a two-out single to center that drove in two more runs to put the lead at 4-0.
“The single in the seventh inning was key,” Nussbaum said. “The game was only 2-0 and anything can still happen. We left runners on third the first four innings so it was nice to see Sara come through and get a hit there at the end. This is the first time Sarah hit in the four spot all year so maybe that’s where we’ll keep her.”
— Chris Cuitino
St. Charles East tournament:ŒSt. Charles has become a friendly place for Downers Grove South to relax.
For the third straight year, the reigning Class AA state runner-up captured the St. Charles East Invitational as the Mustangs did not allow a run in three games Saturday morning and afternoon.
With its 2-0 victory over West Suburban Conference crossover foe Lyons Twp., Downers South improved to 14-4 on the spring behind junior Karissa Habel, who had a day to remember.
The right-hander pitched a five-inning perfect game against the host Saints. The Mustangs backed the Habel gem with offensive support from Katie Gunderson, Zoe Sinner and Katie Jelinek.
“(The perfect game) was thanks to my catcher, Kayli (Gull),” Habel said. “It was an all-around a team effort. This is a brand-new year for all of us. We don’t think about the past.”
The flawless performance by Habel was aided by a 75-minute time limit, but the Mustangs wasted little time against Freeport (10-7) in their second outing.
With Jessie Bozek going the distance to improve to 7-1 for Downers South, the Mustangs captured the six-inning contest 8-0.
When Brooke Andresen scored Gunderson with a run-scoring single against Lyons in the bottom of the first, Habel and company were on their way to the tournament title.
“I was very proud of our pitching defense,” said Downers South coach Ron Havelka. “We’ve never lost a game here.”
St. Charles East ninth-place batter Kelly Springer picked the right time to get the Saints’ opening hit of the day.
After being victimized by the Habel perfect game, West Aurora senior Cassie Axen had a no-hitter going with two outs in the Saints’ fifth.
But St. Charles East had two runners aboard courtesy of a walk and throwing error, and Springer made the Blackhawks pay.
The Saints’ left-fielder scored Becca Reinbold and Jamie Credille with a single to left, which knotted the game against West Aurora 2-2.
St. Charles East held the Blackhawks scoreless in their sixth inning, and essentially won the contest when Meagan McGovern scampered home on a wild pitch.
The Saints’ 3-2 come-from-behind victory over West Aurora, which received a fourth-inning leadoff home run from Felicia Fiorito, only galvanized their opportunism against Hoffman Estates.
The St. Charles East bats came alive for good against the Hawks as Rachael Edwards had a pair of doubles, Jenny Niemiec added 2 singles and Lauren Possley had the biggest blow of the weekend for the Saints.
With the game tied 1-1 in the fifth, Possley unloaded the bases with a 3-run triple to left center as the Saints went on to win 6-1.
Credille picked up the favorable decision in each game over West Aurora and Hoffman Estates to improve to 5-5 on the season.
“Execution at the plate—that was our game plan,” said Possley. “(The 3-run triple) was a huge relief. Being a senior, that’s my job. It was the biggest hit I’ve had in some time.”
St. Charles East is 6-14 on the season.
Hoffman Estates dropped all three of its games to fall to 5-14.
“We lost one our leaders (Jenna Pellus in a Friday collision against West Aurora),” said Hoffman Estates coach Lindsey Hamma. “We had people playing positions they weren’t necessary accustomed to. We played some good competition. It’s a nice experience to play against different teams.”
West Aurora (11-6) edged St. Charles East for third-place overall as the Blackhawks had a pair of 3-0 victories.
Steph Becker allowed only 4 hits total against Lyons Township and Freeport, and Fiorito led the offense all day.
In addition to her round-tripper against St. Charles East, Fiorito broke the ice against Lyons with a first-inning run-scoring single and added a 2-run triple against Freeport in the nightcap.
“Whatever works — you have to get it done,” said Fiorito. “We got comfortable with the lead (against St. Charles East).
“I was trying to step up on the plate and stay back on the ball. I have been using a different battling stance.”
— Kevin McGavin
Willowbrook 13-11, Maine East 0-1:ŒKelly Petersen went 3-for-4 with 2 triples and 2 RBI, while Brenda Ferguson threw a 1-hitter with 7 strikeouts for the Warriors (6-12) in Game 1. Julie Mahnke was 3-for-4 with 3 RBI and Noel Burns tripled twice in Game 2.
Neuqua Valley 12-16, East Aurora 0-0:ŒHailey Jackson threw a 2-hit shutout and went 3-for-4 with a double in the Upstate Eight Conference opener for the Wildcats (5-10, 4-5). Lindsey Colvin tossed a 1-hitter and Jenna Marsalli homered in Game 2.
Downers North 3-10, Addison Trail 1-2:ŒNicole Pacyga won both games of the doubleheader for the Trojans (12-9). Lauren McNulty hit for the cycle on the day including a Game 2 home run, which gave her a school record-tying 8 on the year.
Plano 8-11, Driscoll 7-18:ŒStacey Arlis homered and Melissa Woodford was 3-for-4 with 2 RBI in the first game for Driscoll (5-16). The Highlanders struck back with 13 runs in the top of the first inning in Game 2. Gina Savatski went 3-for-5 with a double.
Glenbard North 4-4, Streamwood 0-2:ŒHannah Santora threw a shutout in the first game for the Panthers (18-1). Stephanie Iori earned the victory and Bri DiGioia homered in Game 2.
Wheaton Academy 11-12, Luther North 0-6:ŒLindsey Setar struck out 12 en route to a 1-hitter for the Warriors (9-9, 5-2) in the opener of the Private School League doubleheader. Game 2 winner Biz Wright went 3-for-4 and scored 3 runs, while Liyah Gurunian was 3-for-3 with a triple, 2 RBI and 4 runs.
Hinsdale Central 7-8, St. Joseph 1-7:ŒTraci Freitag went 3-for-4 with 3 runs to help the Red Devils (5-8) claim Game 1. They made it a sweep behind Caitlin Giancana, who was 3-for-4 with 2 doubles, 2 RBI and 2 runs in the second game. Jordan Kulawiak pitched 5 innings to win the opener, then threw 3 innings of relief to win Game 2.
Illiana Christian 5-2, Timothy Christian 0-0:ŒElizabeth Heerdt went 2-for-3 in the second game of the Private School League doubleheader for Timothy Christian (8-7, 5-4).
Daily Herald Reports
Posted Sunday, April 29, 2007
Sara Silke did about as much as one player can do to help a team win a game.
She went 3-for-4 at the plate for the Naperville Central softball team as it took on St. Charles North on Saturday in St. Charles, ripping 2 doubles and driving in 3 runs.
That would usually be enough out of one person but Silke also threw a 2-hitter in which only one North Star touched second base. She struck out 11 and didn’t walk anybody as she led the Redhawks to a 4-0 victory in Game 1.
Naperville Central also won the second game 10-4.
“Oh man, what a game she had,” said Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum. “She hit the ball well, she threw the ball well, and she was just outstanding today.”
Naperville Central (11-5) got off to a quick start when Lizzy Ploen hit a bloop single just out of reach of North Stars second baseman Sarah Korth. Ploen stole second and Katie Thomas it a ball to the hole on the left side of the infield that St. Charles North shortstop Brooke Jaeger knocked down, but Ploen scored on aggressive baserunning and Thomas went to second on the throw to the plate.
Silke then stroked her first double of the day to the left-field corner to stake herself a 2-0 lead.
“They were getting hits where we just couldn’t get to them,” said St. Charles North coach April Stary.
St. Charles North (4-11) starting pitcher Christine Truesdell (2-6) settled down from that point and scattered 6 hits over the next 6 innings.
“She did well,” Stary said. “This is her first full game this year and we have no complaints with her. She settled down and was able to get them to do what we needed her to do which is hit the ball where we’re at.”
Silke (5-2) didn’t need much help from her teammates, but she got it. In the fourth inning Jen Albert made a great diving catch coming in on an attempted bunt. On the very next play Maggie Buoy robbed Jessica Swanson of a sure extra base hit with a diving grab in right field.
“My teammates do that a lot, they’ve been doing it all season,” Silke said.
“She’s a tough pitcher and when you get a better pitcher you need to step it up a little bit,” Stary said. “Our kids were doing what they could to try and catch up and we started hitting the ball. They just weren’t dropping.”
Silke gave herself a little cushion with a two-out single to center that drove in two more runs to put the lead at 4-0.
“The single in the seventh inning was key,” Nussbaum said. “The game was only 2-0 and anything can still happen. We left runners on third the first four innings so it was nice to see Sara come through and get a hit there at the end. This is the first time Sarah hit in the four spot all year so maybe that’s where we’ll keep her.”
— Chris Cuitino
St. Charles East tournament:ŒSt. Charles has become a friendly place for Downers Grove South to relax.
For the third straight year, the reigning Class AA state runner-up captured the St. Charles East Invitational as the Mustangs did not allow a run in three games Saturday morning and afternoon.
With its 2-0 victory over West Suburban Conference crossover foe Lyons Twp., Downers South improved to 14-4 on the spring behind junior Karissa Habel, who had a day to remember.
The right-hander pitched a five-inning perfect game against the host Saints. The Mustangs backed the Habel gem with offensive support from Katie Gunderson, Zoe Sinner and Katie Jelinek.
“(The perfect game) was thanks to my catcher, Kayli (Gull),” Habel said. “It was an all-around a team effort. This is a brand-new year for all of us. We don’t think about the past.”
The flawless performance by Habel was aided by a 75-minute time limit, but the Mustangs wasted little time against Freeport (10-7) in their second outing.
With Jessie Bozek going the distance to improve to 7-1 for Downers South, the Mustangs captured the six-inning contest 8-0.
When Brooke Andresen scored Gunderson with a run-scoring single against Lyons in the bottom of the first, Habel and company were on their way to the tournament title.
“I was very proud of our pitching defense,” said Downers South coach Ron Havelka. “We’ve never lost a game here.”
St. Charles East ninth-place batter Kelly Springer picked the right time to get the Saints’ opening hit of the day.
After being victimized by the Habel perfect game, West Aurora senior Cassie Axen had a no-hitter going with two outs in the Saints’ fifth.
But St. Charles East had two runners aboard courtesy of a walk and throwing error, and Springer made the Blackhawks pay.
The Saints’ left-fielder scored Becca Reinbold and Jamie Credille with a single to left, which knotted the game against West Aurora 2-2.
St. Charles East held the Blackhawks scoreless in their sixth inning, and essentially won the contest when Meagan McGovern scampered home on a wild pitch.
The Saints’ 3-2 come-from-behind victory over West Aurora, which received a fourth-inning leadoff home run from Felicia Fiorito, only galvanized their opportunism against Hoffman Estates.
The St. Charles East bats came alive for good against the Hawks as Rachael Edwards had a pair of doubles, Jenny Niemiec added 2 singles and Lauren Possley had the biggest blow of the weekend for the Saints.
With the game tied 1-1 in the fifth, Possley unloaded the bases with a 3-run triple to left center as the Saints went on to win 6-1.
Credille picked up the favorable decision in each game over West Aurora and Hoffman Estates to improve to 5-5 on the season.
“Execution at the plate—that was our game plan,” said Possley. “(The 3-run triple) was a huge relief. Being a senior, that’s my job. It was the biggest hit I’ve had in some time.”
St. Charles East is 6-14 on the season.
Hoffman Estates dropped all three of its games to fall to 5-14.
“We lost one our leaders (Jenna Pellus in a Friday collision against West Aurora),” said Hoffman Estates coach Lindsey Hamma. “We had people playing positions they weren’t necessary accustomed to. We played some good competition. It’s a nice experience to play against different teams.”
West Aurora (11-6) edged St. Charles East for third-place overall as the Blackhawks had a pair of 3-0 victories.
Steph Becker allowed only 4 hits total against Lyons Township and Freeport, and Fiorito led the offense all day.
In addition to her round-tripper against St. Charles East, Fiorito broke the ice against Lyons with a first-inning run-scoring single and added a 2-run triple against Freeport in the nightcap.
“Whatever works — you have to get it done,” said Fiorito. “We got comfortable with the lead (against St. Charles East).
“I was trying to step up on the plate and stay back on the ball. I have been using a different battling stance.”
— Kevin McGavin
Willowbrook 13-11, Maine East 0-1:ŒKelly Petersen went 3-for-4 with 2 triples and 2 RBI, while Brenda Ferguson threw a 1-hitter with 7 strikeouts for the Warriors (6-12) in Game 1. Julie Mahnke was 3-for-4 with 3 RBI and Noel Burns tripled twice in Game 2.
Neuqua Valley 12-16, East Aurora 0-0:ŒHailey Jackson threw a 2-hit shutout and went 3-for-4 with a double in the Upstate Eight Conference opener for the Wildcats (5-10, 4-5). Lindsey Colvin tossed a 1-hitter and Jenna Marsalli homered in Game 2.
Downers North 3-10, Addison Trail 1-2:ŒNicole Pacyga won both games of the doubleheader for the Trojans (12-9). Lauren McNulty hit for the cycle on the day including a Game 2 home run, which gave her a school record-tying 8 on the year.
Plano 8-11, Driscoll 7-18:ŒStacey Arlis homered and Melissa Woodford was 3-for-4 with 2 RBI in the first game for Driscoll (5-16). The Highlanders struck back with 13 runs in the top of the first inning in Game 2. Gina Savatski went 3-for-5 with a double.
Glenbard North 4-4, Streamwood 0-2:ŒHannah Santora threw a shutout in the first game for the Panthers (18-1). Stephanie Iori earned the victory and Bri DiGioia homered in Game 2.
Wheaton Academy 11-12, Luther North 0-6:ŒLindsey Setar struck out 12 en route to a 1-hitter for the Warriors (9-9, 5-2) in the opener of the Private School League doubleheader. Game 2 winner Biz Wright went 3-for-4 and scored 3 runs, while Liyah Gurunian was 3-for-3 with a triple, 2 RBI and 4 runs.
Hinsdale Central 7-8, St. Joseph 1-7:ŒTraci Freitag went 3-for-4 with 3 runs to help the Red Devils (5-8) claim Game 1. They made it a sweep behind Caitlin Giancana, who was 3-for-4 with 2 doubles, 2 RBI and 2 runs in the second game. Jordan Kulawiak pitched 5 innings to win the opener, then threw 3 innings of relief to win Game 2.
Illiana Christian 5-2, Timothy Christian 0-0:ŒElizabeth Heerdt went 2-for-3 in the second game of the Private School League doubleheader for Timothy Christian (8-7, 5-4).