Softball: Huntley’s offense gets on track in FVC win over McHenry

McHENRY – The long bus ride to and from Springfield on Saturday was well worth the trip for Huntley, which busted out of a season-long offensive slump with six runs in the eighth inning of a 7-1 win over Sacred Heart-Griffin.

The Red Raiders, who have challenged themselves against some of the state’s top teams and pitchers in the early part of their schedule, once again saw promising results Tuesday.

Huntley collected a season-high 10 hits, five of which went for extra bases, and rolled to a 10-2 win over McHenry in their Fox Valley Conference season opener. Starting pitcher Jori Heard, Ava McFadden, Meg Ryan and Katie Mitchell all had two hits in the victory.

The Raiders, who took third in Class 4A last season, had scored only four runs in their first five games against St. Charles North, Fremd, Lemont, Lockport and Marist. Huntley now has 17 runs over its past two.

Senior shortstop Reese Hunkins said Saturday’s late-inning win was a big confidence booster for the team and a nice consolation after more than six hours on the bus.

“We were practicing at it every single day, and I think mentally that was a huge step we had overcome,” said Hunkins, who had a triple, RBI and run scored against McHenry. “We all have the potential. We’re all athletic, and we all have good swings.

“It’s just a matter of us going out and doing it.”

Huntley (3-4, 1-0 FVC), last season’s undefeated FVC champion, scored three runs in the top of the first with the help of two dropped popups in the infield. All three runs were unearned and came with two outs.

McFadden, a freshman, got the scoring going with a two-run hit to score Hunkins and Madison Rozanski. McFadden then stole second base and came around to score on a dropped popup at first base.

Junior right fielder Katie Mitchell led off the top of the second with a single, stole second and scored on an error to give the Raiders a 4-0 lead. Mitchell, who led the team in hits, runs and steals last year, was one of the Raiders who was struggling to hit early on.

“I think we were all just ready to come out and start hitting,” said Mitchell, who was 2 for 4 with two steals and two runs. “We’re starting to do a little more bonding, we’re getting used to the new team and the new girls, and I think we’ll be fine for the rest of the season.

“We’ve been working hard at it.”

McHenry (1-2, 0-1) scored its first run in the fifth when a relay throw from Huntley went into the Warriors’ dugout. The Raiders added two runs in each of the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Heard finished 2 for 4 with a triple, double, two runs scored and an RBI, and McFadden was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs.

Ryan (2 for 4, RBI) and Isabella Boskey both had doubles.

Heard continued her strong start to the season in the circle, giving up two runs [one earned] on five hits. She struck out 14 and walked two, bringing her season total to 92 strikeouts and four walks in 47 innings.

Natalie Sorensen had a sacrifice fly to drive in Cooper Ten Bruin in the seventh for the Warriors’ second run. Gianna Buske, Channing Keppy, Ten Bruin, Chloe Clark and Maddie Gillund all had singles against Heard for McHenry’s only offense.

McHenry had trouble laying off high pitches early.

“She was pitching those high pitches at the beginning,” Warriors coach Mikaela Mitsch said of Heard. “We saw those big volleyballs or beach balls coming at us and we wanted to take a hack at it. When they’re out of the zone like that and they keep going up, of course, you’re not going to be able to touch them.”

Huntley coach Mark Petryniec was happy to see his offense continue to show signs of waking up.

“Our nonconference schedule is to prepare us to be successful during conference,” Petryniec said. “We took some lumps early and had to find it. Today we were able to get the bat on the ball and good things happened.”