With the adrenaline flowing, Micayla Greco wasn’t nervous at all.
With Friday night’s game on the line, excitement about the opportunity was the overriding feeling.
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The sophomore outfielder’s walk-off single with two outs in the eighth inning sent Crown Point to a 3-2 comeback win over visiting Munster.
“The whole at-bat, I knew these are the situations why I’m here,” Greco said. “It’s what we’re always talking about in practice. We always work hard toward accomplishing that goal and that’s what I had to do.”
Greco had six at-bats as a reserve last season as a freshman. First-year Bulldogs coach Pete Iussig, a Hall of Famer who spent 25 seasons at Lowell, has liked what he has seen so far this season from Greco.
She earned her first extended varsity playing time in last week’s game against Portage.
“She had great at-bats,” Iussig said. “It didn’t always result in getting on base, but she had the kind of at-bats we’re looking for.
“They had a lot of fight in them. This team lost four starters from last year, four productive starters, and we’re trying to find people to step into those roles. Micayla was one of those people who stepped up.”
The Bulldogs (3-0) opened the eighth with Natalie Klingberg reaching on an error. After an intentional walk to Northwestern recruit MacKenzie Dunlap loaded the bases with two outs, Greco lined a 2-2 pitch just onto the grass in left field, scoring pinch-runner Zoie Rettig.
“I knew I had to step up and do my role,” Greco said.
Greco also drove in the tying run in the seventh on a fielder’s choice after Dunlap tripled with one out.
Notre Dame recruit Alexis Holloway (3-0) notched the win for Crown Point, allowing one hit with 16 strikeouts and no walks in 6 2/3 innings. She entered in relief with a run in, the bases loaded and one out in the second before striking out consecutive batters.
Dayton Elliott (0-2) pitched well in taking the loss for the Mustangs (1-3). In 7 2/3 innings, she allowed two earned runs on nine hits with seven strikeouts and four walks.
“She was better (Friday) than she was her last outing, but not necessarily what I think is her best,” Munster coach Beth Thornburg said. “They put pressure on us all game. We put pressure on them early, then they put pressure on us.”
The Mustangs scored a run in each of the first two innings. In the first, Nicole Howard blooped a two-out RBI single. In the second, Sara Mavity had an RBI single.
“It was good game,” Thornburg said. “I was pleased early with how we jumped on them. But it would’ve been nice to come up with the big hit there in the second inning with the bases loaded to get a crooked number instead of one. Two is a precarious lead. But we battled all game long.”
Dunlap went 2-for-4 with a triple, two runs and a stolen base for the Bulldogs. Maggie Ballentine went 2-for-4 with a double.
Mavity went 2-for-4 with a run, RBI and stolen base for the Mustangs.
Twitter @MichaelOsipoff