Softball: Jaelynn Anthony, Oswego bats stay hot, blast Downers Grove North

OSWEGO – Jaelynn Anthony projects a picture of confidence that belies her age, smiling and laughing with Oswego teammates behind her, spreading her hands on the pitching circle dirt between throws.

And why wouldn’t she be having fun?

Anthony, a freshman, is enjoying a fantastic start to her high school career. With the offense Oswego has, any day in the circle is a blast.

“It helps me so much,” Anthony said. “I couldn’t do it without them. They trust me, and I trust them.”

The good times continued for Anthony and the Panthers on Friday, April 14. She struck out 11, pitching into the sixth inning, and helped her cause with a two-run single at the plate. Oswego’s offense, like it has for its pitchers all season, offered plenty support in a 9-3 win over visiting Downers Grove North.

Oswego’s offense had put up a combined 44 hits in three previous games that week, Cori Kennedy alone crushed three homers April 13 against Plainfield North.

On April 14, the Panthers did things differently, but were just as effective.

Oswego (9-3) managed only six hits, none for extra bases. But the Panthers took advantage of 10 walks from Downers Grove North pitchers and stole seven bases.

Kaylee LaChappell reached base four times, had two hits, scored twice and had three stolen bases, and Aubriella Garza also was on base four times. Leadoff hitter Marissa Moffett was on base three times, scoring three runs and had three steals. Twice Moffett and LaChappell took the extra base on double steals.

“I’m super confident with our offense this year. We have each other’s back, and we have fast girls on base, that’s a positive too,” said Moffett, an Illinois State commit. “I wouldn’t say I’m the fastest person, but I’m quick. I have a hook slide, and that’s what I tend to do.”

Oswego left the bases loaded in both the first and third innings, the latter after scoring the game’s first two runs without the benefit of a hit. But the Panthers blew the game open with a four-run fourth capped by Anthony’s two-run single for a 6-0 lead.

That’s nothing new to veteran coach Paul Netzel, in his first year as Oswego head coach. The Panthers are averaging just a tick over 10 runs per game.

“We know it will be hard for pitchers to continually go through our lineup,” Netzel said. “Our girls are good enough hitters that the second or third time we get through the order, we’re scoring runs. We’re averaging over 10 runs a game. The girls are disappointed if we don’t get 10.”

Anthony, who struck out 10 batters in her high school debut March 28 against Neuqua Valley, was on her game April 14.

She struck out the first five batters she faced and took a shutout into the fifth. Anthony appeared to run out of gas in the sixth, giving up a two-run double to Downers Grove North freshman Ella Bonk, but Garza came on in relief to get the last four outs.

“Curveball and changeup really were working, just trusting my spins and my fastball,” Anthony said. “I think I can work on my spins more to get productive outs, but I feel like I did well, enough to get the job done.”

Just like she’s been getting the job done throughout the young, fun season.

“Jaelynn is a freshman that the girls accept,” Netzel said. “Her personality is such that she has been accepted. She can contribute.”

Downers Grove North (2-5-1) has its own promising young pitcher making her debut season in sophomore Ashlynn Durkin, who missed her freshman year with a back injury.

But April 14 wasn’t her day, or the Trojans’.

Durkin struck out the side in the first inning to escape a bases-loaded jam created by two walks and her errant throw. But command eventually caught up to her. Durkin walked nine while giving up just one hit, striking out seven before giving way to Ava Gusel in the fourth.

The Trojans’ defense, which committed three errors, didn’t help any.

“That’s kind of been the moral of the story of our season so far,” Downers North coach Eric Landschoot said. “We get good pitching, we’re not hitting. Today we hit a little bit better and had baserunners, but our pitching was bad and our defense was bad. You can’t give free passes. Our pitchers have to do a better job, and our defense has to do a better job supporting them.”

Despite those struggles, Downers Grove North brought the tying run to the plate in the sixth. Allison Smetana had two singles and scored the Trojans’ first run, and Maya Rodriguez reached base three times. Downers Grove North left nine runners on base over the final four innings, thwarting further comeback chances.

“A lot went wrong, and we were a swing away from being back in the game,” Landschoot said. “It just didn’t happen.”