Softball: Cary-Grove cruises past Dundee-Crown in FVC opener
Cary-Grove sophomore Emily Green has a quiet approach but often provides the Trojans with some of their loudest hits.
Green, C-G's designated player on Monday, hit an opposite-field double to drive in two of the Trojans' four runs in the bottom of the first inning. She later came up against Dundee-Crown with a runner on second base and two outs in the fourth before connecting on a first-pitch home run.
"I was trying not to get in my head and just thinking base hit more than anything," Green said. "Last year wasn't the best season for us, so it felt good to come out and have a strong offense right from the start."
Led by Green's 2-for-3 effort and four RBIs, the Trojans offense got going early as C-G went on to defeat the Chargers, 11-1, in six innings in the teams' Fox Valley Conference opener.
Green's double and homer were the first two extra-base hits of the season for C-G's cleanup hitter. She now leads the team with eight RBIs through four games.
Green's approach is simple but effective.
"She's a peaceful hitter, but she puts rockets out there," Trojans coach Tammy Olson said. "She just has so much pride in her hitting. She really loves to hit and you can see that every single time she's up there. She doesn't overthink it very often. She just goes up there to pick out a pitch and swing."
The Trojans (2-2, 1-0) finished with 10 hits against D-C pitchers' McKayla Anderson and Addison Pino. Maddie Crick added a two-run double in the bottom of the first for the Trojans to take a 4-0 lead. They got a run in the third on an error for a 5-0 lead before Green's two-run homer sailed over the left-field fence in the fourth.
Trojans starting pitcher Becca Weaver helped her own cause in the fifth with a two-run single to score Katelyn O'Malley (2 for 4, 2 RBIs) and Aubrey Lonergan (2 for 4). After Pino (2 for 3) drove in D-C's only run on a double in the top of the sixth, C-G scored twice more in the bottom half on an error and walk-off hit by Lonergan.
Cary-Grove was playing its first game since March 21, a 16-0 loss to Grant. The Trojans were excited to get back on the field and put that lopsided result behind them.
"We played well our first two games and then we played Grant, and we went upside down," Olson said. "They've got that potential. They're so much better than last year. We got a lot of experience against a lot of good teams, and that's what we're going to count on.
"They grew in their knowledge of their game. They've just got to believe in what they're doing."
Weaver, who started for the Trojans last season as a freshman, gave up one run on four hits over six innings. She fired six strikeouts and walked three, stranding seven.
"We had a really good start and we had really high energy," Weaver said. "Our offense is doing really good so far, so it helped me feel more confident on the mound. It feels really nice to get the first win, especially after last year. We've made a lot of progress."
The Chargers (1-2, 0-1) were playing their first game since March 22 and were only able to field eight players in the bottom of the sixth after Anderson exited the game. She entered Monday feeling a little under the weather, coach Tracy Beatty said.
Dundee-Crown was winless in the FVC last season and is hoping to find more success. The Chargers struggled defensively on Monday, finishing with four errors.
"We've had some injuries, we've had to pull up from our JV, so we are out of position in some key spots," Beatty said. "That's something we're battling now, but it doesn't take away from the focus that we need to have defensively.
"We've got to pull together and support our pitchers on the mound. We're better than this. I think we're way better than this."