Softball: A Senior Day to remember for Wheaton North’s Macy Pomatto

WHEATON – Macy Pomatto enjoyed a memorable Senior Day for Wheaton North’s softball team Wednesday afternoon.

Pomatto, who was honored alongside classmates Monica Kading, Gwyn Lockwood, and Erin Metz prior to the game, belted a third-inning grand slam to break a 2-2 deadlock during the Falcons’ eventual 6-3 DuKane Conference victory over St. Charles East (14-7, 4-4) in Wheaton.

“It was definitely a great moment on my Senior Night,” said Pomatto, who now has three home runs on the season. “It’s something I’m going to remember — it’s hard to find the words to describe it.”

After Kading led off the third inning with a solo home run to tie the score at 2-2, Ava Hartnett reached on an error, Reagan Crosthwaite walked, and Metz singled to load the bases with nobody out for Pomatto.

“I was thinking about hitting the ball hard,” Pomatto said. “I knew the bases were loaded for me, and I wanted to take advantage of it.”

Pomatto pulled a 1-1 offering from Saints pitcher Grace Hautzinger over the fence down the left-field line.

“I really didn’t think it was going to be out, but the wind really helped me out there,” Pomatto said.

“I love it — her and Monica (Kading),” Falcons coach Allie Ravanesi said. “So happy for them to get those RBI. It was just a good day all-around.”

Metz earned the win on the mound, retiring 9 of the 12 batters she faced from the fourth through sixth innings before giving up a leadoff solo home run to Saints junior Holly Smith in the seventh.

“She starts feeling more confident and gets better as the game goes on,” Ravanesi said of her starting pitcher.

Sophomore Makayla Hammer’s solo home run in the second gave the Falcons a 1-0 lead.

The Falcons smacked three home runs for the second straight game against the Saints, who they defeated 6-2 on April 15.

“I don’t know what it is against St. Charles East,” Ravanesi said. “We’ve been in a little bit of a slump here but the home runs — the girls are talented enough to do it. They did it today.”

St. Charles East took a 2-1 lead on junior Addison Wolf’s 2-run home run to straightaway center in the third before the Falcons’ 5-run bottom half of the frame.

“We had eight hits,” Saints coach Jarod Gutesha said. “I think they only had four but three were long balls. We hit a couple long balls, too, but they had the grand slam — which was a huge difference in the game.”

The Falcons (16-4, 6-2) are a half-game behind Lake Park (6-1) for the top spot in conference — the teams meet Thursday in Wheaton.

“We’ve got to come ready to play and play like we did today,” Ravanesi said. “If we do that, hopefully good things come our way.”

The Saints fell three games behind Lake Park in the loss column.

“We’re going to need some help to get back into it, but as we’re building toward the end of the season — whether it’s a conference run or a postseason run, what we did at the plate today and the mentality — we’re going to need that,” Gutesha said.