Individual wrestlers and track athletes strive to peak at just the right time each year, and the same might be happening for the entire softball team at Naperville Central.
The Redhawks’ 5-1 DuPage Valley Conference win over visiting Wheaton North featured solid hitting, quality pitching, and strong defense from start to finish.
Combined with Naperville North’s loss Monday to Wheaton Warrenville South, Central’s win gives the Redhawks the DVC title outright.
“I like the way we’re playing and we’re playing well at the right time,” Central coach Andy Nussbaum said. “I think in my first 29 years we only won (the DVC title) twice and now we’ve been a part of three in a row.”
The Redhawks may have graduated a ton of talent from last year’s team, “but so did everybody else in the conference,” Central shortstop Lisa Tassi said.
“Accomplishing this goal feels great and hopefully the playoffs go our way, too. I thought we’d struggle at first this year but we took the first couple weeks to figure things out. It also helps when you have Julie (Kestas) pitching for you.”
Monday’s win was built on early hitting and yet another strong pitching performance from Kestas, who struck out six and only gave up three hits.
Abbey Place took over the starting catcher’s spot this season, and she and the hard-throwing Kestas have teamed up mightily. Kestas has not lost a game since April 20 and Monday’s win was her 11th straight.
“Julie did phenomenal and she’s been consistently great,” Place said. “I have so much fun catching for her. Last year I warmed up Julie a lot and we clicked last year, and now we kind of have a telepathy going.”
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Central (20-8, 11-2) led 1-0 after an inning on a double from Tassi that scored Lindsay Gonzalez. The Redhawks scored twice more in the second on an RBI single from Gonzalez and an RBI double from Place.
Central made it 5-0 in the fourth on an RBI triple from Gonzalez and an RBI single from Place before Wheaton North (10-20, 8-5) scored its lone run in the sixth when Kestas gave up a bases-loaded walk. Tassi stabbed a line drive at shortstop to end the inning, and the Falcons went down in order in the seventh, capped by Kestas’ sixth strikeout.
Wheaton North has improved mightily in recent seasons but Monday belonged to Kestas.
“We knew they had a tough pitcher. She throws hard,” Wheaton North coach Danielle Soraghan said. “She’s a good pitcher and we just need to execute on our end of the deal. We didn’t get the bats on the balls as much as we wanted to.”
In addition to getting two hits and walking once, Place made a fine diving catch of a popped-up foul ball in the third inning. Gonzalez had three hits to lead Central and Tassi had two hits.
“For a little thing, (Gonzalez) really has great power,” Nussbaum said. “And I don’t get a vote but I think (Place) is our most improved player from last year.”
Larsen is a freelance writer.