Sandburg's Gardner blanks Plainfield Central

Sandburg’s Brittany Gardner receives some high-fives after striking out 13 in the Eagles’ 3-0 victory.
(Ray Luna/Special to the Sun-Times)

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One swing of the bat was all that Sandburg sophomore pitcher Brittany Gardner needed.

The swing, a leadoff triple by Laura Christiansen, led to the only run that the Eagles needed in a 3-0 victory over top-rated Plainfield Central Wednesday in Plainfield.

Christiansen (2-for-3), who her classmates Gina Gawron and Taylor Dixon nicknamed ‘Princess,’ led off the top of the first inning by whacking an outside pitch into the gap in left field. She scored the game-winner on a sacrifice fly by Dixon.

“I honesty couldn’t have done it without my teammates encouragement,” said Christiansen, who will play at Benedictine University next year with Gawron. “It just felt right. When you lead off, getting a hit really gets everyone pumped. And then, you hear them and the coaches running the bases.”

Gardner’s reaction to Christiansen’s hit: “Oh, my God.”

That is pretty much how opponents of the 6-foot, left-handed sophomore must feel. Gardner is 11-0 and struck out 13 as No. 3 Sandburg improved to 15-0.

“I thought all of the pitches were working,” Gardner said. “A lot of the credit goes to [catcher Erin Cotter]. She knows what to throw and when to throw it. She knows the batters, calls the pitches and I trust her.”

“This group loves being on the field with each other,” Sandburg coach Jim Fabianski said. “This isn’t about coaching. It’s my third year and I am a better orchestrator.”

In the top of the seventh, Brooke Spencer doubled and scored on a muffed fly. Then, Gardner, hitting for the second time this season with designated hitter Nikki Abramovske out sick, smashed an RBI single.

The best chance for Plainfield Central (9-1) came in the bottom of the seventh when Taylor Tooley (2-for-3) led off with a triple. But a nice grab of a pop-up in the wind by Sandburg shortstop Morgan Biel, a strikeout and fly to Christiansen ended the threat.

“It was a good game and I’m not disappointed,” Plainfield coach Anne Campbell said. “Their pitcher was better than we were as hitters. And I thought Brittany Adcox pitched a nice game.”