Softball: Downers South Crushes Naperville Central

Everything went right for Downers Grove South.

Everything went wrong for Naperville Central.

That’s how the game everyone predicted would be competitive turned into a rout, as Downers South blew out the Redhawks 10-0 in five innings Thursday in a Class 4A Oswego East Sectional semifinal.

The second-seeded Mustangs (28-6) will face No. 5 seed Benet (28-10) in the sectional title game at 11 a.m. Saturday, while the third-seeded Redhawks end their season with a 24-11 record.

“I don’t know what to say other than we picked a really bad day to have a really bad day,” said Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum said. “We had a really good season and our seniors did a great job. I just feel bad that there were a couple things we couldn’t get done for them.”

The Redhawks had two great chances to get it done in the first two innings but Downers South pitcher Jenny Nichols managed to wriggle out of jams in both frames.

In the top of the first, Juliet Tassi singled and went to third on a two-out double by Meghan Griffin. Nussbaum thought about waving Tassi home but had her put on the brakes, which everyone agreed was the right call. But Nichols induced Maddi Doane to tap back to the mound to end the inning.

Given the early reprieve, the Mustangs responded by taking a 2-0 lead in their first at bat. Senior Marissa Mersch led off with a single, the 250^th hit of her career and moved her within two of tying the state record.

Danielle Trezzo then reached second when her bunt was thrown away. Naperville Central ace Alyssa Wunderlich struck out the next two batters but Aleisha Bozek singled to center to score both runners.

The Redhawks had an even better scoring opportunity in the second as singles by Keegan Hayes, Laura Dierking and Wunderlich loaded the bases with nobody out.

Downers South coach Ron Havelka was on the verge of taking Nichols out at that point and bringing in Bozek to pitch but held off.

Nichols rewarded his faith when Redhawks freshman Kaitlyn Skarecky, pinch-hitting for No. 9 hitter Jill Andreoni, hit a comebacker to the mound. Nichols fielded it cleanly and threw to home plate to start a 1-2-3 double play. She then retired Nicole Kappelman on a fly to left to end the inning.

“Our plan was actually to throw both of them today, like we did against Neuqua, but then we got the lead and [Nichols] was starting to deal a little better on the mound,” Havelka said.

“She pitched well and she hit the ball well so I figured her confidence was really up, so we were just going to leave her in there for a while until we needed Bozek to come in. She did a good job today. She changed speeds and got out of a big jam. That double play really helped us. That was huge.”

It wasn’t the first time Nichols (14-2) has been in a tough situation.

“This is actually the second game I’ve pitched against them and the second time I’ve had two innings where the bases were loaded or in some kind of situation like that,” said Nichols, who gave up six hits and one walk while striking out one.

“And I’ve gotten out of both of them with no runs scoring in both games. I guess when you’re in that much stress you just know you have to bear down and really pitch your hardest.”

Pitching hard is something the Southern Illinois-bound Wunderlich does well but she didn’t have her best stuff Thursday.

Wunderlich (15-7) gave up eight hits and walked six while striking out four. After striking out the side in the first, all on called strikes, she walked four in the second, including Trezzo with the bases loaded, and gave up a two-run single to Nichols to make it 5-0, leaving Nussbaum incredulous.

“We had more hits than they did at the end of two innings and we’re behind 5-0,” Nussbaum said. “And even the hits they got in the first two innings, they got a hit on a change-up, got a bloop, got a ball that may have been foul.

“There was nothing that we did today that went right, with the exception of maybe hitting the ball well in the first two innings. I thought in the first couple of innings we swung at a couple of balls that might have been ball four.

“Even coaching-wise, do we send Tassi in the first inning? I thought she was going to be out by a mile. We hit for Andreoni in the second and then we get the 1-2-3 double play. It just seemed like whether it was pitching or hitting or coaching decisions, nothing went the way we wanted it to go.”

The Redhawks weren’t the only ones surprised with the outcome. Nichols, who drove in two more runs during a three-run fourth with a booming triple to center that would have been a home run in most parks, could not have predicted the offensive fireworks.

“We know [Wunderlich] really well, and she is an amazing pitcher,” Nichols said. “She throws speed, she throws movement, she throws everything. And to come out and get hits off of her and run the bases was really good. We were expecting to come in and play small ball and maybe get one [scoring] inning at most.

“We were hitting hard. We were prepared for her but at the same time we didn’t know we’d do this well.”

Even when Nussbaum played the percentages, it backfired on Naperville Central. He intentionally walked Mersch in the fourth with a runner at third and one out. Wunderlich retired Trezzo but Nichols followed with her triple, and then Katy LaCivita plated another run on a single to increase the lead to 8-0.

“I wasn’t surprised they walked Marissa,” Nichols said. “She’s hitting amazing right now and so putting her on base and having Trezzo come up, it was probably a good strategic move on their behalf, but little did they know that we were going come back and hit anyway.”

Eight Mustangs reached base at least once, with Nichols and Bozek getting two hits and Mersch, who drove in Kristina Airdo with an RBI groundout to end the game in the fifth, scoring three runs. Airdo and Jackie Tonoff both had a hit and a walk and scored twice.

“That’s kind of been the case this year,” Havelka said. “Mersch is obviously the catalyst of our team but we really have had other girls who’ve stepped up and done really well.”