Davey’s single lifts Glenbard South

Updated: June 2, 2011 9:29PM

Whether it’s softball or baseball, redemption is part of the game as much as a triple or getting hit by a pitch.

The Glenbard South outfielder who dropped the fly ball Thursday that would have won the game in the top of the seventh, scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh.

Junior right fielder Rachel Cohen went from agony to ecstasy in less than 15 minutes. Cohen scored the winning run off Hannah Davey’s single to send the Raiders back to the sectional final for the fourth time in the last five years. Second-seeded Glenbard South defeated third-seeded St. Francis 2-1 in the Class 3A St. Francis Sectional semifinal in Wheaton.

The Raiders (26-5) beat St. Francis (26-6) for the second time this season and will meet fourth-seeded Nazareth (19-16) in the sectional final at 11 a.m. Saturday. Glenbard South had its run of three consecutive sectional championships end last year with a 6-2 loss to Trinity in the sectional semifinal. Nazareth will make its first sectional final appearance.

“It’s awesome. I totally messed up,” Cohen said. “Everyone supported me. It was really great.”

St. Francis tied the game with two outs in the top of the seventh when Lauren Gorski sent Jess Wilkes’ 3-2 pitch to right field. Cohen, who is in her first varsity season, took a few steps in and tried to make an under-handed grab. The ball hit the palm of her glove, allowing Aly Germanos to score from third base.

With one out in the bottom half of the inning, Cohen was hit by Taylor Ronchetto’s pitch. Cohen went to second when Brianna Meath walked. The next batter, Davey, drilled a 2-1 pitch down the third base line to start Glenbard South’s walk-off celebration.

“At first, my strategy was to hit it to the right side,” Davey said. “Basically, I wanted to help my team out and get it to the outfield; get them home.”

“It was meant to be,” Glenbard South coach Julie Fonda said of the seventh inning. “That’s definitely [part of] the game. You make an error in the field, find out you’re on deck [like Cohen] and you’ve got a chance here.”

Glenbard South defeated St. Francis 7-1 on April 30 in Wheaton when the Raiders scored four runs with two outs in the seventh to end the Spartans’ seven-game win streak. The Raiders, the Metro Suburban champions, have won seven consecutive games and have not lost since a 4-3 defeat to Minooka on May 16.

The Raiders will attempt to win their sixth sectional title, all of them since 2002.

Davey (2-for-4) and Jenny Wittenberg (2-for-2) were the only Raiders batters to get more than one hit off Ronchetto (21-4), who allowed six hits, two walks and struck out two. Glenbard South’s first run in the fifth inning was unearned when Meath doubled, stole third base and then scored when catcher Blaine Carragher’s pickoff throw went past third baseman Brie Pasquale, who was caught off guard by the steal attempt.

“It was a great game. I was proud of the kids,” St. Francis coach Ralph Remus said. “They battled all the way. They did not get their heads down when we fell behind.”

Wilkes (18-3) did not allow a hit through 5 2/3 innings until Pasquale singled past third baseman Olivia Ramirez. In the next at-bat, Ramirez made a diving catch to end the inning. Germanos had St. Francis’ only other hit, a single up the middle with one out in the seventh. Germanos reached scoring position by stealing second base and then went to third on Catherine Fitzgerald’s grounder to Wilkes. The next batter was Gorski.

“That was a bad incidence, but [Cohen] had her head up and did her best. I’m proud of her,” Davey said.

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