Oh, Buoy! Redhawks tip Plainfield Central

Naperville Central players celebrate after their extra innings victory over Plainfield Central.
(Terence Guider-Shaw/For the Beacon News)

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Junior center fielder Maggie Buoy used her arm to keep Naperville Central afloat and her bat to sink P lainfield Central as the Redhawks upended the Wildcats 2-0 in 11 innings Wednesday in the Class 4A Bolingbrook Sectional semifinals.

Buoy threw out Olivia Scott at the plate to end the ninth inning and then in the top of the 11th she doubled home Stephanie Lynch and scored on Jori Gonzalez’s single. She also caught the final out for the Redhawks (24-6), who advanced to the sectional finals for the first time since 1989.

“I just had this feeling [Buoy would get the winning hit] and then two at-bats later she did,” Naperville Central pitcher Natalie Wunderlich said. “It was awesome.”

Wunderlich (20-5) hurled her 10th shutout, allowing just two hits and five walks while striking out 11.

The top-seeded Wildcats (28-3) had two great chances to win. They loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth, but Taylor Tooley grounded out after ripping the first pitch inches foul down the left field line. Then in the ninth, Buoy cut down the speedy Scott with a perfect throw to catcher Megan Silke at the plate.

“I was just thinking, ‘You have to make the play,’” Buoy said of her first outfield assist. “It went through so fast, I had to make a quick decision and I just did a normal throw.”

Wildcats pitcher Brittany Adcox (18-2) gave up just one hit, walked none and fanned 11 through 10 innings before Naperville tallied three hits in the final frame. Lynch led off with an infield hit and moved up on an one-out bunt by Katie Atwood before Buoy ripped a double for her third game-winning hit.

“Everyone has their game,” Buoy said. “It helps when your pitcher is throwing a nice game.”

Wunderlich, a junior who claimed she would be too tired to study for Friday’s finals, said she was confident because she had pitched in many close games this year.

“As much as I didn’t want to face them because I knew how good they were, I knew that we could beat them because nearly every single game we’ve played has been 1-0, 2-1,” she said. “I think my adrenaline kept me going.”