(Sugar Grove, IL.) –It was another blustery afternoon at Waubonsee Community College's softball diamond as the Chiefs and Prairie State College squared off in an Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) doubleheader. After a sluggish start offensively early in the spring, the Chiefs' offense has come to life in a big way recently, averaging 19 runs per game over their last six contests. Friday afternoon was a continuation of that as Waubonsee (13-13, 6-1) topped the Pioneers (13-22, 3-4) in the opening game 16-8 in five innings due to the eight-run after five innings slaughter-rule. The Chiefs then pulled away in game two to take a 15-4 win also in five innings to move to the .500 mark overall and stay on the heels of the College of Lake County (7-0) in the ISCC standings.
In the opener Chiefs' starting pitcher Morgan Iwanski induced three weak ground outs around a double down the left field line by Pioneers' three-hitter Jayla Matela. Waubonsee's offense then went to work as Morgan Smardo led off with a pop fly that dropped into left center field, scurrying into second base with a double. Katie Baker followed with a soft liner up the middle to put runners at first and third. Emily Hurst then drilled a two-and-two pitch that short hopped the left center field fence to drive in both Smardo and Baker for a quick 2-0 Waubonsee lead and extended her hitting streak to 13 games. Matela, the Pioneer's left-handed starting pitcher, struck out the next two batters with a steady diet of back-door curves and changeups. However, an error on the Pioneers kept the inning going and proved costly. Two pitches later Valerie Osthoff launched a high shot to right center field that carried over the fence for a three-run homer and a 5-0 Chiefs' lead.
Lindsey Pickering led off the top of the second inning by slapping a double down the right field line. As it did throughout much of the game, the gusty winds came into play as an infield pop-up by Grace Arnett ended up in shallow right center field for a base hit. Control issues then hampered Iwanski as she walked the next three batters to force in two runs and make it a 5-2 game. Prairie State got a third run on a fielder's choice before Matela made it a one-run game with a one-hopper that went off Iwanksi's glove for an error.
Waubonsee got one of those runs back in the bottom of the second when Baker smashed a one-out solo blast well beyond the center field fence. The sophomore's no doubt home run, her first of the season, made it 6-4. Hurst followed with a hard single up the middle and Alyssa Perkins slashed a double just inside the right field line for a ground rule double when the ball bounced out of play. However, Matela avoided more damage by getting a strikeout and pop out. Iwanksi set down the Pioneers in order in the top of the third and the Chiefs' offense answered back. A two-out single to right by Baker drove in Osthoff who had started the frame with a single through the left side of the infield to give Waubonsee a 7-4 lead. The Chiefs stranded a pair of runners before Iwanski again set down Prairie State in order in the top of the fourth.
The Chiefs' hurler then beat out an infield hit and scored moments later when AnnaMarie Vivirito laced a one-out double just out of the reach of Prairie State center fielder Armani Ruiz for a run-scoring double. Osthoff then drilled her second home run of the game, a two-run shot off Waubonsee's new scoreboard that was installed last fall, to give the Chiefs a 10-4 lead. A run-scoring single off the right center field fence by Audrey Schau and fielder's choice ground out plated two runs for Prairie State in the top of the fifth. Arnett then lined out deep to left field before Colby McDivitt lofted a routine high fly ball to right field that was anything but routine. With gusts up to 35 miles per hour throughout the game, the ball carried all the way to the fence for a triple to make it 10-7. A single up the middle then got the Pioneers to within two runs before Ruiz launched a deep fly to right that nearly tied the game, hitting high off the fence. However, Smardo quickly grabbed the ball and delivered a strike to second base to nail a sliding Ruiz for the third out and halt Prairie State's rally.
In the bottom of the fifth Waubonsee went back on the attack as Smardo led off with a single through the right side of the infield. Two pitches later Baker ripped a single through the middle and Hurst drew a walk to load the bases with no one out. Perkins quickly cashed in by rocketing the first pitch she saw for a grand slam over the left center field fence to put the Chiefs in front by six runs once more. Vivirito then smashed a one-out double to left center and scored two batters later when Rivera dropped in a two-out double between the right and center fielders. That brought Arian Ikis to the plate with a chance to end the game, which she did by blooping a single into left field as Rivera scampered home with the walk-off run.
Waubonsee tallied 19 hits in the victory, including nine for extra bases, as all nine starters registered at least one hit. Baker finished the game 4 for 4 with a home run, two runs batted in and three runs scored. Osthoff went 3 for 4 with a pair of homers, five runs driven in and two runs scored. Perkins added a double and home run while knocking in four runs, and Vivirito smacked two doubles and scored three times. Smardo, Hurst and Rivera each finished with two hits in the win.
Per ISCC rules, the Chiefs were the visitors in game two and quickly got on the board in the top of the first inning. Smardo reached base on an error, stole second base on the very next pitch and moved over to third on a wild pitch. After Baker drew a walk Smardo scored on a passed ball, narrowly sliding away from the tag of Arnett, the Pioneers' catcher. Hurst and Vivirito also walked to load the bases with one out. Unfortunately, Waubonsee failed to add on as a force out at home preceded Hurst getting thrown out at the plate trying to score on a wild pitch to end the inning.
The Pioneers then pushed across a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning taking a 2-1 lead on a sacrifice fly out to right field by Pickering. Waubonsee got two runners on base in the top half of the second but stranded them there. Perkins, the Chiefs' starter in game two, retired the Pioneers in the second inning with defensive help from Osthoff who made a nice play at third to end the inning. Hurst then led off the third with a line shot double to right field. Perkins then singled through the left side before Vivirito tied the game with a single up the middle to score Hurst. Osthoff walked to load the bases with no one out and Maddie Linden put a charge into a one-ball two-strike pitch, drilling a high arching grand slam to straight away center field. The first collegiate home run for the freshman from Yorkville's Parkview Christian High School suddenly put the Chiefs ahead 6-2.
Nadia Melendez followed with a single up the middle, her second hit of the game, to keep Waubonsee rolling. Two batters later Smardo smashed a run-scoring line shot double to right field to make it 7-2. As the relentless wind continued to periodically kick up the infield dirt all afternoon, Baker drew a walk and Hurst was hit by a pitch to load the bases again. Schau, the Pioneers' starting pitcher in game two, then threw a wild pitch to allow Smardo to score. Perkins then helped her own cause by drilling a two-run double off the left field fence to put Waubonsee in front 10-2. Prairie State quickly cut into the deficit with a double and run-scoring single in the bottom of the third. The Pioneers loaded the bases and got another run in on a ground out before Perkins struck out Arianna Mata looking for the third out.
The Chiefs got those runs back and more in the top of the fourth as Smardo ripped a two-run double over the center fielder's head to put Waubonsee back up by eight runs. Baker then knocked in Smardo two pitches later with a line shot single to center and Hurst walked to put two runners on base with one out. Perkins slapped a single up the middle and an error allowed her to advance to second while a second run scored to make it 15-4. Matela came on in relief for the Pioneers and got a line out and pop out to end the inning. After a two-out walk Waubonsee's Maya Brito helped keep the Pioneers off the scoreboard by ending the bottom of the fourth with a diving catch in left center field for the third out. For just the second time all day the Chiefs failed to score in an inning as Matela retired three straight batters after the lead-off hitter got on base. Perkins then tossed a scoreless fifth to close out the game with a called third strike.
The right-hander finished with five strike outs, scattered six hits and allowed just two earned runs in picking up her third win of the spring. At the plate the freshman went 3 for 4 with a run scored and three runs driven in, tying her with Hurst for the team lead in runs batted in with 37. Melendez also went 3 for 4 with a run scored, and Smardo extending her hitting streak to 11 games by smacking two doubles, knocking in three runs and scoring three times as the Chiefs tallied a dozen hits in game two.
The Chiefs are on an unprecedented hot streak over the last six games scoring 113 runs on 100 hits, including 44 for extra bases. Waubonsee has ripped 28 doubles, smacked two triples and blasted 14 home runs including a pair of grand slams in that span. In the last six games Smardo is 13 for 25 (.520) with four doubles, two homers, 17 runs scored and 12 runs batted in. Baker has gone 14 for 20 (.700) with four two-baggers, a triple, a home run, 13 runs scored and 10 knocked in. Hurst is 10 for 17 (.588) with three doubles and two homers, 14 runs scored and 13 driven in. Vivirito has gone 14 for 22 (.636) with five doubles, a triple, a homer, 13 runs scored and 11 batted in. Perkins has also gone 11 for 20 (.550) with three two-baggers, four long balls, 10 runs scored and 18 knocked in. In addition to the Chiefs' big five Osthoff went 5 for 12 (.417) in three games played with a double, two homers, five runs scored and six batted in. Iwanski went 7 for 19 (.368) with a pair of doubles, eight runs scored and seven driven in, while Ikis went 8 for 15 (.533) with two doubles, a home run,seven runs scored and another seven driven in.
Waubonsee is in action again tomorrow, Saturday, April 20 when they travel to Wisconsin to take on 15thranked Bryant & Stratton College (26-3) in a doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m. The Chiefs return home on Sunday, April 21 when they host top-25 ranked Rock Valley College (15-12) starting at 11:00 a.m. Waubonsee is set to play a second game that day against South Suburban College (13-19) beginning at 3:00 pm.