McGuire sisters power Benet past Huskies

Updated: June 1, 2011 10:44PM

The last name “McGuire” spelled trouble for the Naperville North softball team.

The McGuires — as in Benet’s lethal sister duo of Maeve and Nora — combined for five of the Redwings’ total nine hits, three RBI and each found themselves on base three times in the 10-1 win over the Huskies in the Oswego East Class 4A Sectional semifinal Wednesday.

“I like hitting with my sister,” Maeve McGuire said. “It’s like we have a friendly competition where we are always pushing each other to hit.”

With the win, fifth-seeded Benet improved to 28-10 and will play either No. 2 Downers Grove South (27-6) or No. 3 Naperville Central (24-10) at 11 a.m. Saturday in the sectional final.

Benet scored twice in the bottom of the first and once in the second, fourth and fifth innings. The Redwings’ big inning was the sixth, when they scored five runs on four hits.

“I think we all just came to play today,” Benet pitcher Allyson Staats said. “Offense, defense and pitching was all there, and that’s what you need to do to win the game.”

Maeve McGuire, the leadoff batter and team’s leading hitter with a .446 batting average, finished with two RBI doubles and a single in the sixth. Nora McGuire, the No. 4 batter, singled and scored in the fifth and sixth innings. She also reached base in the third on one of Naperville North’s six errors.

“We did not play Huskie softball today,” Naperville North coach Jerry Kedziora said. “It’s as simple as that. It was uncharacteristic to have six errors. We’ve been playing awesome defense lately and we came out and gave Benet some runs. We can’t let a good team like that get up on us like that...you can’t win sectional games with six errors.”

Everyone in Benet’s lineup reached base somehow. The McGuires were the only ones with multiple hits, but both Julianne Rurka and Marissa Panko each had RBI singles. Panko and Duffy each scored twice, as did Staats.

“In this game, we got a lot more contributions than we typically get,” Benet coach Jerry Schilf said. “Usually, it’s two or three kids who come through...the kids did a good job of keeping the ball in play.”

Staats was solid in the circle as the senior finished with three strikeouts, five hits allowed and a walk to improve to 26-9. Benet did not make an error behind Staats.

“I know I can count on the defense,” Staats said. “It’s the best feeling in the world because I go out there and hit my spots. They have my back.”

Naperville North’s lone run came in the sixth when Benet led 5-0. It figured that leadoff lady Sammy Marshall scored the run on a slap infield single, stolen base and a hard-hit RBI double from Caitlyn Warren.

“It was very fitting we scored that way because that’s how we scored runs all year,” Kedziora said.

Naperville North, the No. 8 seed, finished the season at 18-13.

“Eighteen wins (and a regional title) is awesome,” Kedziora said. “It was a hard-working, historical year for our team. It’s amazing these girls did what they did.”

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