Minihan’s efforts lead Waubonsie Valley

Updated: May 23, 2011 8:27PM

Amanda Minihan, Waubonsie Valley’s “go-to kid,” got to it Monday in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs against Oswego.

The sophomore shortstop not only scored the tying run, but Minihan produced the game-winning hit in No. 15 Waubonsie Valley’s 2-1 win over No. 19 Oswego in Aurora.

“(Minihan) makes things happen,” Waubonsie Valley coach Aly Kelley said. “She’s the one who makes something happen every time. I have so much confidence in her. She loves the game; she is so passionate about it and she has fun playing.”

With the win, Waubonsie Valley (11-19 overall) will take on No. 2 seed Downers Grove South (23-6) in Downers Grove Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. in the regional semifinal.

“We are playing our best ball now in the postseason,” Kelley said. “We are the underdog...we can hang with the best of them right now.”

“We are not done, we don’t want to be done playing,” Minihan added. “We are excited to keep playing.”

The first five innings were scoreless. Waubonsie Valley broke the trend in the bottom of the sixth, when Minihan led off with a walk. She moved to second on Katie Benson’s ground out and scored on Erin Hohman’s RBI single up the middle.

Oswego tied the game when Mallory Brainerd hit a two-out double. Her pinch runner, Amy Rieger, scored when the next batter, pitcher Katherine Daley, hit an RBI single.

In the bottom of the seventh, Julia Di Monte led off with a single. Her pinch runner, Sarah Gosciniak, advanced to second on Jessica Sarch’s walk, her third of the game. Sarch got to second and Gosciniak was out at third on Amanda Lack’s fielder’s choice.

After Sarch was pushed to third and Lack to second on a wild pitch, Minihan produced the game-winner with an RBI single that allowed Sarch to score and end the game with one out.

Waubonsie Valley only outhit Oswego 5-4. Amy Jablonsky earned the win after striking out three and allowing no walks.

“It’s dramatic, from the beginning of the year how much she has learned,” Kelley said of Jablonsky.

“This is one of Amy’s best games,” Minihan added. “Without her, we wouldn’t have won.”

Daley took the tough loss with five strikeouts and four walks. All five hits allowed were singles.

“I thought this was one of the best games I’ve seen her pitch,” Oswego coach Lindsay Hejtmanek said. “I thought she looked the fastest and strongest I’ve seen her all season. You couldn’t ask more out of your pitcher.”

Oswego capped the 2011 campaign — on Hejtmanek’s 29th birthday — with a record of 6-20 overall.

“We are building a program here, and we’ve come a long way,” Hejtmanek said. “Even though the record doesn’t look like it, we’ve still improved. We still have a long way to go, but we’ll keep working with the lower levels. Again, I don’t think our final record fits the team at all.”

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