Softball: Woodstock North holds off Richmond-Burton for KRC win

RICHMOND – After Richmond-Burton loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning Thursday, Woodstock North pitcher JoJo Vermett admitted her nerves were at an all-time high.

“They were insane,” the Thunder junior said. “I was shaking the entire time.”

Senior catcher Norah Mungle gave her pitcher some words of advice during a timeout, and Vermett went back to work.

Vermett got a popup for the second out, and after five straight foul balls against Rockets’ No. 9 hitter Madison Kunzer, including one that landed just wide of the right-field line, the Thunder ace got a one-hopper to third baseman Addison Salazar.

Salazar grabbed the ball and tagged third, and North celebrated a 7-6 win against R-B in their Kishwaukee River Conference game.

The win wrapped up the KRC title for Marengo, which had clinched a share of the conference championship Wednesday with a win over Johnsburg.

For the Thunder, Thursday’s win was a long time coming.

“Ever since I’ve played at Woodstock North, we’ve never beaten them,” said Mungle, who will play next year at Wisconsin-Platteville. “We’ve always fallen short. This gives our team a lot of hope going into [the postseason].

“It shows that we can beat any team. It shows what we can truly do.”

Richmond-Burton beat North 5-2 in the teams’ first meeting April 18. Three of the Thunder’s four conference losses this season have been by three runs or less.

“That’s the way conference games should be,” Thunder coach Paul Sandall said. “It should be a battle every single time. It was so much fun to watch. [Vermett] had a lot of heart. She dug deep and finished there, even after getting beamed in the shin.”

“It shows that we can beat any team. It shows what we can truly do.”

—  Norah Mungle, Woodstock North senior

Richmond-Burton started the seventh inning with a hard single to center field from Rebecca Lanz, followed by a five-pitch walk from Lyndsay Regnier. After an infield popup for the first out, senior first baseman Norah Spittler quickly was in a 0-2 hole but battled back to draw a walk and load the bases.

Spittler, one of the team’s top hitters last spring, was playing in her third game of the season after she tore her ACL and meniscus during a powderpuff game in October.

“A hit would have been nice, but I’m proud of myself for coming back,” Spittler said. “I wanted to be back for senior night, and I did that. This was a great game regardless of the ending. I was proud of us, and I hope we can go into regionals like that.”

North (10-12, 4-5) jumped out to a 6-1 lead over R-B (13-6, 5-3) after two innings, scoring a pair of runs in the first and four in the second. Mungle and Vermett both drove in runs in the first, and Aly Jordan and Alyson Schaid collected RBIs in the second.

Three of the first six runs against R-B starting pitcher Hailey Holtz were unearned. Madison Kunzer pitched the last four innings, allowing a hit with four strikeouts and a walk.

Jordan was 2 for 3 with two runs scored and an RBI for North, Vermett was 2 for 4, and Schaid knocked in two runs.

The Rockets scored four runs in the third, getting a two-run, two-out single from Spittler.

In the sixth, R-B senior catcher Taylor Davison smacked an RBI double to score Kunzer and cut North’s lead to 7-6.

Davison finished 3 for 4 with an RBI, and Spittler (2 for 3) and Herrick both drove in two. Regnier went 2 for 3, and Holtz scored two runs.

Richmond-Burton coach Tylar Stanton said the Rockets have not had the same lineup for more than three straight days this season because of injuries and moving players around to find the best lineup.

“They’re going to stay confident,” Stanton said. “Not that these games don’t matter, but they’ve got lofty goals, and that’s playing in June.”

Vermett said Thursday’s win should give her team momentum as the regular season winds down. The Thunder have alternated wins and losses in their past five games.

“This is the best of the best we’re going to see,” Vermett said. “This is going to help us get our confidence going.”