Naperville North’s Maddie Vassar was crystal clear.
“We wanted to come in and get the sweep,” Vassar said.
The Huskies’ goal had historic program ramifications heading into Monday’s DuPage Valley Conference game against rival Naperville Central.
For the first time since 2000, North swept the annual two-game series against host Central, winning a wild one 12-10.
North (11-14, 8-5) led 11-0 heading into the bottom of the third, but Naperville Central (10-19, 5-9) outscored North 10-1 from there.
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Vassar kicked things off with a two-out, two-RBI single in the first inning.
“There’s always pressure in that situation,” Vassar said. “I tried to relax and put the ball where it needs to be. We wanted to start early, and that’s what we did.”
North scored six runs in the second inning and three more in the third in building an 11-0 lead. Vassar had another two-run single in the third and Callie Ladone contributed three singles.
North coach Jerry Kedziora was happy to see his girls capitalize early on.
“They hit the ball well and got timely hits,” Kedziora said. “Maddie hit the ball well and Callie got a couple hits and big RBIs, and for her to do that as a sophomore, that’s another bat in the lineup that I wasn’t expecting four weeks ago.”
Central scored four runs in a third inning featuring RBI singles from Annie Tassi, Abbey Place and Caitlyn Patton and a double from Lindsay Gonzalez, who finished with three hits.
Central scored twice more in the fourth and got four runs in the sixth, punctuated by a three-run homer from Meredith Siambekos, who earlier hit a two-run double.
“My confidence is up and I’m just trying to have fun in my last season,” Siambekos said. “I’m also swinging at better pitches, which helps.”
North’s Alex Hanselman replaced starting pitcher Dani Biesiada after Siambekos’ home run in the sixth. Hanselman, a left-hander, kept the slate clean the rest of the way, ending the game by getting Siambekos to fly out with two runners on base.
“There’s definitely pressure when you come into a close game like that, especially with your crosstown rivals,” Hanselman said. “It’s more pressure but that’s also what makes the game fun.”
North won 12-4 over Central on April 25, and Redhawks coach Andy Nussbaum was pleased with his girls’ comeback attempt in the rematch.
“It would have been nice to win the game, but we cut an 11-run game down to two and we made them earn it,” Nussbaum said. “We had the tying run on base, and that’s all you can ask for in a comeback. I was happy to have Meredith up there.”
Monday’s game was also part of a fundraising effort between North, Central, Wheaton North, Glenbard North, and Wheaton Warrenville South. The teams raised $1,600 earlier this season for Mutual Ground, a domestic violence shelter and service center in Aurora.
North and Central played Monday for cleaning supplies needed at the shelter.
“It’s pretty cool when two rival teams can come together for the same cause,” Siambekos said. “It’s nice to make a contribution, and it’s awesome that we do this every year.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance writer for the Naperville Sun