Late-inning home run stings Glenbard South

Updated: June 10, 2011 6:59PM

EAST PEORIA — Glenbard South’s dream of a state championship run ended in its 7-5 loss to LaSalle-Peru in a Class 3A semifinal Friday afternoon at the EastSide Centre.

The Raiders (28-6) failed to sustain leads of 2-0 and 4-2 in falling to Saturday’s third-place game against Civic Memorial.

LaSalle-Peru third baseman Jennie Laio delivered the backbreaker, a three-run home run into left-center that broke a 4-4 tie in the top of the seventh.

“You have to give the kid credit,” Glenbard South coach Julie Fonda said. “It was a good pitch and she just made a good hit.”

Laio’s hit was one of 12 the Cavaliers managed against Raiders ace Jess Wilkes (20-4).

“It was a perfect pitch to hit,” Laio said, “because the ball never broke.”

Glenbard South made the game interesting until the final out, taking advantage of a Cavaliers defense that allowed five errors. Second baseman Brianna Meath reached base on a throwing error. She scored from second on an errant throw. The Raiders had the tying runner on base after left fielder Jane Trzaska walked.

Cavaliers starter Ally Smith coaxed a soft pop-up to end the game. She was not overpowering, recording just three strikeouts, but she stymied the Raiders hitters with her off-speed pitches.

“She did a good job of working the corners,” Glenbard South first baseman Danielle Chitkowski said. “A lot of the times it left us wondering whether we should stay back or move up and she ended up jamming us a lot.

“Still, you have to hit, and we didn’t do enough of that.”

Glenbard South held the early advantage. Meath scored on a wild pitch in the first inning and shortstop Jennifer Wittenberg’s run-scoring single in the third pushed the lead to 2-0. After LaSalle-Peru tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth, the Raiders appeared to take control on third baseman Olivia Ramirez’s single that scored Trzaska, who opened the inning with a double. Ramirez eventually scored on an error.

The Raiders still held the lead after Chitkowski dusted a LaSalle-Peru runner trying to score from second after she received a perfect relay from right fielder Rachel Cohen. Second baseman Micky Fassino drilled a sharp double to left-center that tied the score. After a fly out to center, Laio delivered the dagger.

The Raiders fought back, but ran out of opportunities.

“We never felt at any moment like the game was out of reach,” Fonda said. “We could have stopped playing hard after the home run, but we didn’t.”

The loss was particularly crushing for the players. Wilkes was disconsolate afterwards and did not speak to the media. “I came down here on the team two years, and it was a great thrill just to get down here,” Chitkowski said. “This year we came down to win a state championship, so yeah, it’s definitely a tough way to go out.”

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