(Sugar Grove, IL) – Second-seeded Waubonsee Community College and seventh-seeded McHenry County College squared off in the first-round of the 2023 Region 4 Division II District A Tournament on Tuesday afternoon. As expected, the Chiefs (34-14) prevailed 5-0 and 12-4 in five innings to take the best two-out-of-three series and advance to this coming weekend's semi-finals hosted by top-seeded Kankakee Community College. Coach Joe Spitzzeri's crew is set to play the third-seeded South Suburban College (33-11), which downed sixth-seeded Highland Community College (29-23) in three games, this coming Saturday, May 13, at noon in Kankakee.
For the most part game one was a pitcher's duel between Waubonsee's Taylor Warren and McHenry's Kelli Seiler. The Chiefs managed to score a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning with the benefit of only one hit, a lead-off single to center field by Dyani Rivera. She eventually scored when Ariana Ikis tapped a ball out in front of home plate and the Scots' catcher Mackenzie Scully dropped the ball attempting to tag Rivera as she slid into home. Waubonsee got a second run when Katie Baker drew a two-out, bases loaded walk to force in Taylor Hamaker from third base.
A pair of defensive gems by McHenry, including an outstanding grab by Kaylin Berwanger at the left field fence to rob Warren of an extra base hit in the fifth inning, kept the score at just 2-0. Meanwhile, Warren was over-powering the Scots' bats as she turned in a stellar performance in the circle. After giving up a two-out single to center in the fourth inning the right-hander struck out the next six McHenry batters in order.
The Chiefs tacked on three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth off Seiler taking advantage of a walk, an error, and a wild pitch. Hamaker scored when Ikis laid down a bunt along the third base line and avoided the tag of McHenry's Baylee Snell. Sarah Sandusky then lofted a sacrifice fly to right field to drive in Chelsea Born and Emily Hurst followed with a line shot single to center to knock in Ikis.
Warren finished the game with nine strikeouts and no walks on the way to spinning a two-hit shutout for her 21st win of the season to break Tarah Rayos' Waubonsee single-season mark of 20 wins set in 2014. On the season the sophomore from Yorkville is 21-5 overall with a 1.80 earned-run-average over 175 innings pitched.
In game two Waubonsee wasted no time in sending a message that the contest would not be anything like the first one. McHenry started Seiler in the circle again hoping she could keep the Chiefs off balance once more. However, after a quick three up and three down for the Scots in the top of the first inning Hurst immediately set the tone for game two. Waubonsee's lead-off hitter drilled the second pitch she saw from Seiler over the center field fence for her 22nd home run of the season to get things started. Baker then ripped a clean single to center, Hamaker drew a walk and Kayla Tranter laced a single to left field to drive in Baker. Rivera followed with a run-scoring double down the left field line to quickly make it 3-0 as Waubonsee registered more hits in the first five batters of game two as they had in all of game one. Abbie Honkala came on in relief of Seiler and induced Born to grounded out to first, but Tranter was able to score on the play. Sarah Sandusky then reached base on a McHenry error with Rivera crossing the plate to make it 5-0.
The Chiefs broke the game open in the second inning by scoring six more times. Hurst walked, stole second base and scored on a single to center field by Baker. Three batters later Born lined a two-run single to right field, and Ikis drove in another run with a single to right as well. Nadia Melendez followed with a two-run double to the left center field fence to put Waubonsee in front 11-0 after only two innings. With Hamaker in the circle for the Chiefs, McHenry strung together four hits and took advantage of a Waubonsee error to score four times in the top of the third. But Hamaker then retired six of the next eight batters she faced over the next two innings to keep the lead at seven runs.
In the bottom of the fifth Waubonsee needed just one run to end the game by the 8-runs after five-innings slaughter rule. It didn't take long as Tranter reached base on the Scots' fourth error of the game. Rivera then smacked a single to left field to put runners at first and second with no outs. Born delivered the walk-off winner when she drilled a line drive back at Honkala that ricocheted off her glove and bounded into short right field allowing Tranter to score easily.
Waubonsee finished the game with 15 hits as Rivera led the way by going 3 for 4 with a double, a run scored and a run batted in. Melendez went 2 for 3 with a double and two runs driven in, while Ikis was also 2 for 3 with a run scored and one knocked in. Hamaker ended the game 2 of 3 with two runs scored and a stolen base and Born went 2 for 4 with two runs batted in and a run scored. Baker was also 2 for 4 with two runs scored and one driven in, and Tranter scored three times and knocked in a run.
Emily Hurst smacks her 22nd home run Taylor Hamaker delivers a pitch Dyani Rivera drills a line shot to left field