Kits Finally Click In 4-Inning Softball Win

If she had it to do all over again, Evanston softball coach Amy Gonzales probably would have asked for an early dismissal from school for her players for Thursday’s trip to Mundelein Carmel.

Maybe the Carmel coach would have conducted her pre-game infield practice BEFORE the Wildkits actually arrived at about 4:40 p.m.

Maybe that same coach would have had enough softballs on hand available to prevent delays after fouls had to be chased down and put back in play.

Or maybe the home plate umpire would have enforced the 20-second clock between pitches before deciding it was too dark to continue in near-freezing temperatures.

With at least 30 minutes of light remaining, the Wildkits and Corsairs only got in four innings of play in what otherwise would have counted as an 8-1 victory for Evanston in a matchup of previously winless teams.

Officially, high school games are supposed to consist of at least 5 innings --- 4 and a half if the home team is ahead and the slaughter rule is in effect.

But Gonzales counted this one in the “win” column after the Kits put together their best performance of the year in all phases of the game.

Delila Liston drove in a pair of runs with a double and a home run, winning pitcher Serafina Goodwill was her old dominant self with a two-hitter, and the ETHS defense turned in a couple of highlight film-type of efforts to end the portion of the season prior to the upcoming spring break on a feel-good note for the visitors.

Count this one as a win? Gonzales plans to do just that.

“We played more than half the game (scheduled 7 innings) and we deserve the win,” said the ETHS coach. “Given the conditions today, it was really good to see us play so well. Serafina settled in after the first inning, we had more offense today, and we made good plays defensively, too.

“I’m calling it a win. If we were able to get here 20 minutes earlier, we would have been able to finish it, but we were in control the whole way.”

That wasn’t just bravado coming from a coach desperate for a win. The Wildkits clicked Thursday after being outscored 35-5 in their four previous outings against Stevenson, Loyola Academy, Taft and Libertyville.

Thursday, Evanston pounced on Carmel hurler Kaitlyn Konen for three runs in the 1st inning, and kept adding on with one in the 2nd, another one in the 3rd, and three more in their half of the 4th.

Konen --- more often than not --- took about 30 seconds between pitches to the plate but couldn’t slow down the Wildkit attack. Liston scored three times after her double, homer and walk and Goodwill helped her own cause by driving in a couple of runs as part of Evanston’s 7-hit assault.

All that offense was a welcome sight after ETHS was shut out in back-to-back games to open the 2024 campaign. Thursday’s contest, however, seemed to turn on a defensive effort by shortstop Sophie Berger-White when it looked like the visitors might not be able to keep Carmel from answering that opening offensive salvo with some runs of their own in the bottom of the 1st.

Evanston sent nine batters to the plate in the 1st as a double by Liston and singles by Goodwill and Kenna Brokowski, plus a Carmel error, did most of the damage.

But Goodwill, making her first start of the season in the circle, couldn’t find the strike zone and issued 3 walks to fill the bases with only one out in the Carmel half of the 1st.

The next batter, Kate Buckingham, lifted a high fly to short left field that seemed to hang in the air forever. Somehow Berger-White made the difficult catch with her back to the infield, then turned and fired a strike to catcher Liston to complete an inning-ending double play as baserunner Aly Krogman was gunned down at the plate.

The Kits added another defensive gem in the 3rd when left fielder Brokowski caught a deep drive by Krogman with her back up against the fence, robbing her of a potential home run.

“I said it at the time in the dugout, that play by Sophie was huge, humongous!” Gonzales exclaimed. “Sophie is always so consistent for us at shortstop. She does a very good job of taking command in the infield.”

Goodwill, who has been slowed by an injury and made only her second appearance of the year as a pitcher, had a no-hitter in hand until Emmy Carney lashed a one-out double down the left field line in the 4th. One out later, Konen also doubled to ruin Goodwill’s shutout bid.

The senior right-hander struck out 3 in the “distance” performance.

“After the first inning, Serafina did a really good job,” Gonzales praised. “We just reiterated what Roney (pitching coach Shannon Roney) says about using her change-up more, and she made some good adjustments today.”