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Bolstered by errorless defense behind her, Oswego East’s Emma Salis found the comfort zone early Friday. And that’s a very good place for a pitcher to be.
Salis, a senior right-hander, was breezing in her team’s season opener — a nonconference game at Waubonsie Valley in Aurora.
She was so focused was each hitter, Salis was unaware of just how well it was really going.
Asked if she realized she was throwing a perfect game through the first four innings, Salis was shocked.
“No, was I?” she asked after pitching a four-hit complete game in a 4-1 victory over the Warriors. “I was just trying to get through each inning.”
Salis retired the first 12 batters she faced before Waubonsie pitcher Hannah Laub opened the fifth with a sharp single up the middle.
Laub later drove a home run over the fence in left-center, accounting for the only run by the Warriors (2-3).
Oswego East’s defensive support included an over-the-shoulder running catch of a pop-up down the left field line by junior shortstop May Pasqualini.
A diving catch of an infield liner by senior second baseman Gracie Vlach in the sixth was followed by a diving catch from junior center fielder Mia Corres, who added a fine running catch in the seventh.
“It’s very helpful when the outfield catches everything for me,” Salis said.
Senior left fielder Hannah King added three putouts.
“Sometimes, I feel like I don’t have to even turn around and watch them make the catch,” said Salis, who struck out three and walked one.
Oswego East had waited through four weather postponements before finally getting to take the field, and the Wolves made the most of it.
“Their defense definitely backed her up,” Waubonsie coach Valerie Wood said. “It was really impressive. We just have to do a better job of adjusting earlier in the game. We were under the ball a lot.
“We need to adjust earlier and not wait until the sixth or seventh inning.”
Pasqualini sparked Oswego East’s nine-hit attack early with a pair of line-drive singles over short. She stole two bases in the third and came home on a grounded fielder’s choice.
In the fifth, Pasqualini stole second, moved to third on a groundout and scored again on Madye Greenwood’s sacrifice fly to stake Salis to a 2-0 lead.
Greenwood added a double and Corres had an RBI triple to highlight the Wolves’ two-run seventh.
“I just went up there trying to make contact,” Pasqualini said. “A lot of my offseason approach has been driving it up the middle and hitting line drives.
“I’m not going up there to hit a home run but to get on base so Morgan Robertson behind me in the lineup can hit a home run. I have a problem when I try to pull the ball.”
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Corres and King each reached base four times, twice on hits and twice on walks.
Salis, who is committed to NCAA Division III Hendrix in Conway, Arkansas, kept on rolling.
“That’s the kind of pitcher she is,” Oswego East coach Sarah Davies said. “She pitches to contact, getting pop-ups, grounders, and relies on the defense to get those outs.
“It’s not like they’re hitting her hard. She has a lot of good movement and good spin and we have a solid defense behind her.”
Salis said she mixed her riseball with two curves she throws.
“My riseball is typically faster than the slow and normal curves I throw,” Salis said. “I try to get them to tip it straight up in the air or right to somebody.
“It gets us some 1-2-3 innings, which is very helpful.”