St. Charles North pitcher Jillian Waslawski was on point Tuesday, and that spelled trouble for Bartlett.
A sophomore in her second year on the varsity, Waslawski worked like a veteran against the host Hawks in the North Stars’ 15-0 victory in an Upstate Eight Conference crossover.
“My pitching was just working (Tuesday),” Waslawski said. “At the beginning of the season I felt a little off in the circle, but I feel like I’m coming back to where I was. I think it’s confidence.
“It’s confidence on the mound and confidence with my team behind me, knowing they can get the job done behind me. And I feel like I know what I’m doing more on the mound this year.”
St. Charles North (4-1) and Waslawski cooled off Bartlett (6-4), which scored 12 runs Monday in a win over Geneva.
“She gets better every time she steps out there,” North coach Tom Poulin said of Waslawski, who improved her record to 4-0. “She has always thrown hard and been able to hit her spots.
“And now she’s moving the ball and still very, very accurate.”
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Bartlett had an uncharacteristically woeful day defensively, giving up 10 unearned runs. But even without those runs, the Hawks only managed four hits against Waslawski.
The North Stars hit the ball hard, putting up five runs in the second inning and adding six in the fourth. Waslawski went 3-for-3, including three RBIs and a two-run home run.
“That was extremely exciting,” Waslawski said. “Everyone loves a good home run. It was exciting for me because the rest of my team are such good hitters so it was awesome to help them like that.”
North got two-hit performances from Amanda James, Ali Moberg, Alyssa Eby and Sam Hausl, while Elyse Hickey, Katie Fornoff, Danielle Kleeman and Danielle Kirby had hits for Bartlett.
Hawks coach Jim Wolfsmith tipped his hat to Waslawski, but noted a few missed opportunities.
“She’s a good pitcher,” Wolfsmith said. “She moves the ball in and out and she’s faster than you think she is. We had some solid swings but against a team like this, when you get a runner on second or third base, someone needs to step up and score the run.”
Hickey, who totaled six RBIs in Bartlett’s 12-9 comeback win over Geneva, bemoaned the lack of urgency.
“St. Charles North always kind of finds a way of getting in our heads,” Hickey said. “We couldn’t get a good vibe going, and (Waslawski) was hitting her spots fantastically.”
Wolfsmith agreed that North came in with an edge and sharpness that his team failed to match.
“They beat us without those 10 unearned runs,” Wolfsmith said. “They’re too good a team for the effort that we put forth. We got behind too many good hitters, and when you do that, good hitters punish you.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance writer for The Courier-News.