East softball falls behind early, can't catch up
By ANDREW MITCHELL – editorial@kcchronicle.com
|
| St. Charles East's RaeAnne Payleitner prepares to take a cut during the Saints' loss Saturday in the St. Charles East Regional championship game. (Wendy Kemp - For the Chronicle) |
ST. CHARLES – St. Charles East started its softball season with a 1-0 win against Glenbard North, but Glenbard North made sure it had the last word.
Glenbard North (25-8) scored three runs off of Saints starting pitcher Gaby Moe in the second inning, setting the tone in a 4-1 win on Saturday in the IHSA Class 4A St. Charles East Regional championship game.
The Panthers’ Jenny Nelson smacked a triple to deep left-center and was brought home by Laura Scott's RBI-single. Another single and a sacrifice bunt later, No. 8 batter Amanda Cygan belted in two more runs on an RBI single. Saints coach Kelly Barnett then took Moe off the mound and put in Katie Stengler to finish the game.
"Even our all-area pitcher can have on off day," East coach Kelly Barnett said. "It makes it a tougher climb, but our kids have been coming back all year."
Stengler kept the Panthers under control the rest of the game but Glenbard North’s ace pitcher Hannah Santora did the same against East the entire game, allowing only three hits and striking out five.
The Saints (24-10-1) waited until the fifth inning to break Glenbard North's shutout. Junior Jenny Niemiec led off with an uncharacteristic walk from Santora. She then advanced to second off Steph Roan's sacrifice bunt.
With two outs, Kayla Brooks provided what the Saints had been looking for all game – a double to the fence in left field that sent Niemiec home for the Saints’ only run.
"[Santora] was a really good pitcher," Niemiec said. "I thought I had her speed down ... but I ended up hitting a lot of foul balls."
The Panthers padded their lead to 4-1 in the seventh inning thanks to catcher Bri DiGioia's RBI double to center field.
The Saints made another effort to score in the bottom of the seventh after Rachael Edwards singled to right field. With one out, Brooks went to bat again and hit a grounder down the third-base line.
Glenbard North's third baseman, Alyssa Jasinski, ably stopped the ball and threw Brooks out at first, but then the Panthers went for the double play, looking to beat Edwards on her way to second.
The throw to second went astray, and Edwards made a dash for third, but was thrown out.
Despite the disappointment on Saturday, Niemiec looked back fondly on a season in which the Saints exceeded expectations in Barnett’s first year as head coach.
"This year was the best I've ever played," she said. "It's been memorable... We're all really close."
But for senior shortstop Rebecca Reinbold, her final game was a painful one.
"It [stinks] to go out like that," she said, "but [the team] will be back next year and they'll be great."
