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Sports

McGuire's Blast Helps Benet Claim Softball Regional

Redwings defeat Plainfield Central 7-2 to advance to Oswego East sectional.

Last year the Benet Academy softball season came to a close on the Redwings’ home field, and that was not a lot of fun.

On Saturday, pitching, defense and some big bats delivered plenty of smiles for Benet as the fifth-seeded squad knocked off No. 4 Plainfield Central 7-2 to claim a 4A regional title and advance to the Oswego East sectional next Wednesday.

The biggest hit of the day came in the top of the fifth when Redwing clean-up hitter Nora McGuire belted a 3-run home run to right center to cap a 4-run outburst that broke a 1-1 tie.

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 Through 4 innings the game’s offense consisted of a solo homer by Benet freshman Julianne Rurka in the second and a solo shot off the bat of Plainfield Central’s Dominique Roa in the bottom of the third.

 But McGuire’s shot off Wildcat starter Carly Trenhaile (9-7) proved to be the difference in the game as Benet pitcher Allyson Staats continued her strong post-season pitching and was aided by some strong defense in the field.

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 “We felt more relaxed and knew we could be more aggressive on defense,” said McGuire, when asked how her third home run of the season changed the game. “It also put just enough pressure on them to kinda get them out of their comfort zone.”

 McGuire and Rurka—a freshman slugger who went 3-for-3 with her fifth homer of the spring—made sure Benet did not fall in a second straight regional in Lisle.

 “Last year we lost to Naperville Central here, so we wanted to go out with a bang in the last game on this field (this year),” McGuire said. “It felt nice to kind of avenge that a little bit.”

 Rurka, who leads the team in pretty much every offensive category and now has 21 doubles, added: “We wanted to finish the game off strong. It’s the last game here for the seniors and we wanted a win.”

 Saturday marked the last game for a Wildcats squad that piled 24 wins before falling to Benet. Coach Anne Campbell had nothing but praise for her players afterward. Olivia Scott smacked a home run in the sixth to close the gap to 6-2, but the Wildcats just didn’t muster enough hits off Staats on this day. Staats entered the contest fresh off a 2-0 regional-opening defeat of Metea Valley.

 ”We’ve hit very well all year. We just didn’t get on her today like we needed to. That 3-run home run really hurt. Against them it’s tough to get that many runs back. But I just told them there’s nothing to hang their heads about. They had a great season and they played their hears out.”

 With the win, Benet improved to 27-10 and will face either Naperville North or Downers Grove North in semifinal action of the Oswego East sectional.

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