For a moment, it looked as if Guerin catcher Hailey Jurasz’s day might have been over prematurely. In the top of the first in Guerin’s softball game against Timothy Christian on Friday, April 15, the sophomore tweaked her ankle running toward home plate on a grounder.
“I was worried that I’d be out for the whole game,” she said. “But I was determined to get back out there.”
After a brief spell on the bench, Jurasz returned to the game in the third inning with the Gators down 4-2 and in need of some stability. She provided plenty on offense and defense for the Gators as they stormed back to beat the Trojans 16-6 in six innings.
Jurasz’s presence helped stabilize the Gators (5-5) on the mound. Starting pitcher Ninneth Chinchilla departed after two-thirds of an inning, and Ashley Krawiec stepped in to pitch the rest of the game. When Jurasz returned, she did a good job working the outside corner and forcing the Trojans hitters to hit plenty of grounders to the defense.
“The nice part about (Jurasz’s) return is that it keeps everyone on their toes and forces them to step up when the situation arises,” Gators coach Anthony Pecoraro said.
At the plate, Jurasz went 1-for-3 with two walks. Her walks in the first and third inning showed her willingness to try and bend the situation to her advantage.
“I’ve worked on being patient at the plate, and I hit from both sides. I want them to throw my pitches and I’m willing to wait for it,” Jurasz said.
Pecoraro added: “That’s been our philosophy with her. We want to see some pitches, and give everyone an idea of what’s coming our way.”
When Jurasz reached base, she made her own opportunities instead of waiting for them to happen. She stole three bases and made life miserable for the Trojans’ defense. In the fourth inning, she made a move from third base after a pitch, which prompted the Trojans to try to pick her off. Instead, the ball went over the third baseman’s head, and she easily scored one of the Gators’ eight runs in the fourth inning.
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“We’re all about forcing the defense to make mistakes and to force the issue whenever we can,” Jurasz said.
Pecoraro said of Jurasz’s baserunning: “Her presence at the top of the lineup is a real game-changer for us because this team can score some runs in bunches in a hurry. We have a lot of really good hitters on this team, and her ability to get on base sets the rest of this team up.”
Depending on the situation, Jurasz can hit right- or left-handed. She has more power from the right side and is more of a slap hitter from the left. She had her only hit from the right side, and it was an opposite-field shot into the gap in right-center.
Angela Pagalunan went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored for the Gators. First baseman Frankie Flores went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Chris Vavra is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press