Central Keeps Swinging Hot Bats

The days of small ball for softball team appear to be over.

The Redhawks were known for low-scoring affairs the past few years, but for the fourth consecutive game Monday, Central broke out with double digit runs.

Central cruised to an 11-2 non-conference win over to win its fifth straight game after a season-opening loss to Hinsdale South. In those five wins, the Redhawks have scored 55 runs.

“I’d single out people for individual performances, but we’re scoring every inning,” Central coach Andy Nussbaum said. “Even the outs we’re making are loud outs. We still have things we can get better with, but we’re playing pretty good right now.”

Central (5-1 overall) wasted little time getting started against sophomore Waubonsie pitcher Amy Jablonsky (1-3). Kelsey Gonzalez ripped an RBI triple and scored in the first to open a 2-0 lead. Keegan Hayes added an RBI triple in the third and Nicole Kappelman scored on a Gonzalez groundout in the fourth to stretch the lead to 5-0.

Kappelman started hitting in the leadoff slot against Benet last week, the first of four straight games the Redhawks have scored double digit runs.

“I don’t know if it’s coincidence or not, but when we started batting her leadoff, we started scoring double digit runs,” Nussbaum said.

Central pitcher Kristina Vizza (3-0) cruised to that point before getting into trouble in the fifth. A leadoff single from freshman Amanda Lack and a walk to Courtney Hicks wound up coming around to score thanks to a pair of Central errors. But she got out of a bases-loaded jam and never fell into trouble again.

“It’s definitely comfortable when I’m out there,” Vizza said. “I know that if I screw up for some reason that they’ve always got my back scoring runs.”

After escaping that jam, Central’s offense started adding on, as they have this season. A sacrifice fly from pinch hitter Alyssa Wunderlich and a two-run double from Kappelman in the fifth pushed the lead to 8-2. Then in the sixth, Dana Dolehide drove in a pair with a single as part of a three-run surge.

Waubonsie never scored again as they young Warriors fell to 4-6 overall.

“We have offense too, and that’s what I was most disappointed about, that our bats just didn’t show up,” Waubonsie coach Ally Kelley said. “They came out in the fourth inning, but we waited too long and we dug too much of a hole for ourselves to get out of.”

Central will be tested the rest of the week, as the Redhawks’ five-game winning streak will be put to the test. Central travels to Lockport Tuesday, hosts Downers Grove South Thursday and plays a doubleheader with Saturday.

“Historically, Lockport and Downers South, for 25 years, have been the teams that you measure yourself by,” Nussbaum said. “And there are other teams out there. Neuqua and Downers North, there are some other teams in our area that are playing pretty well. But right now, I think Naperville Central is playing pretty well, too.”