Pope John Paul II pounded out 18 hits en route to a 17-8 Division III select second-round playoff victory at Northlake Christian on April 17.
“We do really well on feeding off each other,” said Jaguars' catcher Hannah Potter, who drove in five runs. “We got it going in the second inning. We were all trying our best to do good, and when we did good, the energy just kept getting better and better.”
Shortstop Kasia Rodriguez led the offensive explosion, going 3 for 6 with a double and three RBIs. Kam Rodriguez, Franky Thompson and Mallory Whitten had two hits apiece.
Ella Babin threw 4.2 innings of relief to get the win, allowing three unearned runs on four hits with two strikeouts.
“I just trust my team, and I trust my defense,” Babin said. “I just went in there and tried to throw strikes because I know my defense will have my back with whatever pitch I throw. Today, we brought the energy that we needed to. Everyone was up, and that was huge for us.”
The Jaguars jumped out to a 13-0 lead, and it all started with an one-out double by Kam Rodriguez in the second inning. In that frame, PJP II scored seven runs and sent 12 batters to the plate.
The first run scored on a fielder’s choice when the catcher couldn’t handle the throw home with the bases loaded. After a groundout to the pitcher for the second out, the Jaguars reeled off four straight run-scoring hits highlighted by Potter’s two-run double.
“The energy they brought today was incredible,” PJP II coach Jeff Benedic said. “I told the girls that we need to hold on to that in the next round. St. Charles is a familiar opponent in the next round, but I feel really confident in our group.”
The Jaguars added six runs in the third as Kasia Rodriguez belted a two-run double, and her sister, Kam Rodriguez, capped the scoring with a two-run home run to left to make it 13-0.
The Wolverines (14-9) answered in the bottom of the third, sending nine batters to the plate and scoring five runs. Abigail Willie and Samantha Raimondi had run-scoring singles in the inning as Northlake Christian chased starter Ashley Chighizola.
Willie took the loss for NCS, allowing 11 runs on 13 hits in 6.1 innings. She struck out seven and walked two.
With the victory, the 10th-seeded Jaguars (16-15) traveled to second-seeded St. Charles in the quarterfinals and dropped a close 4-1 game. The Comets (22-5) scored three runs in the first inning to take control.
Chighizola took the loss, allowing four runs on 10 hits and a walk in six innings. She struck out three. Offensively, Kasia Rodriguez drove in a run, while Potter had a triple.