A back-and-forth game between the OPRF and Lyons Township softball teams remained in a deadlock on Friday.
Tied 7-7 after 10 innings, the game was called due to darkness at OPRF. Both the Huskies and Lions got things done offensively, especially in the later innings.
With two outs in the seventh inning and the score tied at five, Lions senior catcher Skye Riddle was hit by a pitch from Huskies senior Sarafina Andreoli. Sophomore Ashley Koziol reached on an error that also drove in Riddle to give LT a 6-5 lead. Koziol finished the 10 innings 1-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored.
“This was just a really good game back-and-forth,” said Lions head coach Dawn Schabacker. “We always have a very good, competitive game with Oak Park. I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
The Huskies answered in their half of the seventh. Junior shortstop Valerie Cundari got things started by reaching on a dropped third strike. She scored on an RBI single by junior first baseman Jenna Rouse after advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior centerfielder Caroline Kelty. Rouse went 4-for-5 through the first 10 innings with two RBIs, as her calm approach at the plate was key for her to get things done with the bat.
“When I think too much, I don’t hit so well,” Rouse said. “So I just clear my mind and do what I can, and it ended up working out.”
“The good thing is that we kept battling back,” said Huskies head coach Mel Kolbusz. “(Senior starting pitcher) Emma (Baldwin) did well, and Sarafina came in and shut them down a little bit, but (the Lions) fought too. It was just crazy.”
Huskies junior catcher Dana Alcock went 1-for-2 with two RBIs — an RBI double to score senior Annie Ford in the third inning, and a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to score junior second baseman Samantha Davidson. Baldwin finished the day 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Lions junior Becky Ryckman went 3-for-6 with an RBI single in the third inning to score Koziol. Senior Lauren Huebner went 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored.
The chilly conditions made it difficult for both teams, especially as the sun went down. But that didn’t stop the two teams from having six different lead changes before tying it up two more times.
“I’m really happy that our kids kept hanging in there,” said Schabacker. “Both teams just kept coming back, and we never said die. It takes a lot of guts to play on a day like this, and I’m just proud of the way we handled the adversity with the cold weather and stepped up to the plate and did everything we could.”
The athletic directors from each school will talk this week to decide when and where the game will be completed, and Rouse knows her team will be ready.
“I think if we come with the same intensity, it will be pretty easy for us to win,” Rouse said. “We’ve proven that we can hold up with them, and without the errors it should be easier to win.”
