Ryndak, Downers North roll by Oak Park

Dale Ryndak is like an eraser. Every time she gets into trouble, she blots it out as if it never existed. 

The gifted Downers Grove North freshman overcame a rough start to scatter seven hits and drilled a momentum-changing three-run home run in leading the visiting No. 3 Trojans past Oak Park-River Forest 9-1 Friday afternoon.

Ryndak pitched a complete game, striking out three and surrendering two walks in running her record to 10-1. 

The Huskies seized the early lead after catcher Annie Ford drilled a double into right field that scored first baseman Maureen Puccetti in the bottom of the first inning. “That’s been a problem for me this year, where I almost let up on girls once I get ahead of them in the count, and I have to come back and get them out,” Ryndak said.

Ryndak got a strikeout to avoid further damage. Then she took control from the plate.

Designated hitter Sam Yaeger locked the score up in the Trojans’ second inning with a sharp single into left field. With two outs and two runners on, Ryndak smashed a first-pitch fastball over the left-field fence against Huskies starter Sarafina Andreoli. 

The blast was Ryndak’s third home run of the season.

“I’m usually pretty aggressive going after the first pitch,” she said. “I was a little surprised it went over because I didn’t swing all the way through, but I hit it perfect, so that was probably the difference.”

The lead also settled Ryndak on the mound. Oak Park-River Forest was able to string together some hits. Ryndak continually pitched herself out of the big inning. in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Huskies collected three hits and loaded the bases. Ryndak coaxed two pop outs and a line drive to end the inning.

“That’s what she’s done the whole year,” Downers North coach Mark Margo said. “She’s a great competitor, and I thought her changeup was really working today.”

Downers North (19-2, 6-1 West Suburban Silver) put the game out of reach with a four-run fifth inning extended by two Huskies’ errors and separate runs scored on a wild pitch and passed ball. 

Kendall Ryndak (2-for-4), Dale’s older sister, smashed a double down the third-base line that scored centerfielder Rachel Bradley, who led off the inning with a single. The Trojans sent nine batters to the plate in the fifth. Dale Ryndak punctuated her all-around performance with a run-scoring single in the seventh inning.

The Huskies (6-16, 3-4), Class 4A supersectional finalists a year ago, remained snake-bitten. “We’ve never had a losing record in the years I’ve been coaching here, and right now, we don’t have enough games left to get back to .500,” OPRF coach Mel Kolbusz said.

“Sarafina didn’t pitch that badly. We’re just not doing the little things out there, leaving runners on, the walks, the errors and it’s showing out there in the result.”

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