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Freshman Hayes leads Redhawks softball to victory
Updated: April 30, 2011 9:58PM
One player stood out in Naperville Central’s 5-3 home win Saturday over Metea Valley.
Redhawks freshman third baseman Keegan Hayes went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a walk, also flawlessly handling two chances at third.
She roped a go-ahead, two-run single with two outs in the second inning and the bases loaded for a 2-0 Redhawks lead. Then, Hayes contributed defensively by snaring a line drive to start the top of the fifth and perfectly fielding a bunt for a 5-3 putout to end the sixth.
“Keegan’s only a freshman and she can do a lot of great things for us,” Redhawks assistant coach Jackelyn Diekemper said. “She pitches, she plays third, she plays outfield (and) she can hit the ball, so we’re excited about her future and she did a great job again today.”
The underclassman takes a very mature approach up to the plate, explaining, “You just try to shorten the swing and not pull the ball when it’s outside — just go to right. And when it’s inside, pull the ball to left.”
Hayes delivered her big hit four batters after the Redhawks (13-3) had knocked out Mustangs freshman starter Jenna Hall (3-3), who did not allow a run while in the game in an inning-plus of work despite allowing hits to five of the seven batters she faced.
Metea Valley left fielder Antoinette Senese helped Hall escape the first unscathed with an outfield assist to cut down Hayes at the plate. In the second, Senese overran Hayes’ run-scoring single for an error that allowed Hayes to reach second as the ball rolled all the way to the wall.
The Mustangs made some of the tougher plays but committed two errors on relatively routine balls.
“We have some inconsistencies, and that happens with youth,” Mustangs coach Kris Kalivas said of her juniors-and-younger team. “We have some things that we’re going to clean up.”
Juniors Stephanie Bova and Alexa Caputo combined to finish the game in relief of Hall.
The Redhawks built a 5-1 lead with help from RBI by Meghan Griffin and Maddi Doane in the fourth, but Metea Valley scored twice in the seventh on an RBI double by catcher Jenn Faassen and an error.
Naperville Central left-handed pitcher Kristina Vizza got the win with a complete game. She struck out six and walked two.
Vizza said her fastball-changeup combination keyed the victory. In terms of run support, she appreciated Hayes’ clutch hit.
“That felt really comfortable after she hit that and it was nice that we had runs on the board,” Vizza said. “And it made it more comfortable for me pitching out there.”
Added Diekemper: “She got ahead, way ahead, and stayed ahead.”
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