After a rather lengthy layoff, the Oak Park and River Forest girls softball team jumped back into the swing of things by handing Glenbrook North a pair of lopsided losses in Oak Park on Saturday.
The swings were frequent and on the mark for the Huskies (16-4, 4-1), currently ranked 10th by the Chicago Tribune. In Game 1 of a doubleheader, Mara Blesoff scattered a single to score two in the fourth inning. Then in the sixth, Lauren Gonzalez rocketed a two-run homer to give the Huskies a four-run cushion and eventual 5-1 victory.
Gonzalez has been a steady contributor to coach Mel Kolbusz’s team all season long. The sophomore is hitting .386 with two homeruns and 14 RBIs.
In the nightcap, OPRF put on an even more impressive hitting display, sending 13 runners across the plate. In the 13-0 romp of the Spartans, pitcher Sara Hutchinson went four strong innings and earned the victory. Seana Stillson had an equally impressive outing in the opener, allowing just five hits, while striking out nine.
Though Stillson and Hutchinson have turned in solid pitching performances, the Huskies’ recipe for success this season has been their bats.
“We knew we had good pitching and good defense,” Kolbusz said. “Our hitting has been improving though. We are hitting much better than last year.”
Along with Gonzalez, Alex Morocco is burning up at the plate. The senior finished the weekend with a .596 batting average.
“She’s very fast,” Kolbusz said of his star hitter. “She can bunt to get on but she is very versatile, she can also hit for power.”
Morocco proved to be a nearly impossible out on Saturday when she went 6-for-7 with two runs, two RBIs, and two stolen bases in the two games.
The Huskies will look to build on the weekend’s success with four tough West Suburban (Silver) Conference games in the coming week, including Lyons Township today in La Grange (4:30 p.m.). OPRF slipped past its conference rival with a 1-0 victory earlier in the season.
“We beat them 1-0 last time,” Kolbusz said, “so we need to score more runs this time around.”
Kolbusz’s assessment of a revitalized offense and a proven pitching staff was on display last week when the Huskies routed conference foe Proviso West 10-0. The story of this game was Carolyn Pluta (2-0), who went the distance, no-hitting Proviso while striking out 13 and not surrendering a single walk. Pluta also shined at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI.
On Monday, the Huskies blanked Hinsdale Central 6-0. Hutchinson (7-0) tossed a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts.