Plainfield East's game last Thursday was a tough loss, but they didn't let that memory haunt them on Saturday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Neuqua Valley Wildcats 7-6. This was payback for Plainfield East, who suffered a 7-5 loss the last time these two teams met.
Maya Patel looked comfortable as she pitched 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits (she also only allowed one walk).
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Natalie Utrata, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-5. Another player making a difference was Ashley Plzak, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
On Neuqua Valley's side, Ava Drehs spent all seven innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and six unearned) runs on ten hits and racked up 13 Ks.
On the hitting side, Nadia Casanova and Tegan Spellerberg did some serious damage despite the final result: Casanova scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances, while Spellerberg went 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBI, and a run. Trista Werner was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in two of her three plate appearances.
Even though they lost, Neuqua Valley didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 13 strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Plainfield East only tossed five.
Plainfield East now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Neuqua Valley, they are on a four-game losing streak (dating back to last season) that has dropped them down to 0-3.
Plainfield East will be playing at home against Naperville Central at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Plainfield East has given up an average of 7.4 runs per game this season, so hopefully the team got some pitching drills in this week. As for Neuqua Valley, they will head out on the road to face off against West Aurora at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Neuqua Valley has given up an average of 6.7 runs per game this season, so hopefully the team got some pitching drills in this week.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
