This doesn’t figure to be the finish Megan Kennedy had in mind for her four-year varsity career at Waubonsie Valley.
Kennedy and five classmates were honored on senior night Tuesday before the Warriors played the rubber game of three DuPage Valley Conference matchups against crosstown rival Metea Valley.
The 18-1 setback to the Mustangs was certainly troubling.
Another loss, however, weighed heavily on Kennedy, a senior center fielder and Northern Kentucky recruit.
Her thoughts were centered on the knee injury suffered last weekend by sophomore star Hannah Laub while playing travel basketball.
Laub, Waubonsie’s No. 1 pitcher and hitter, appears likely to be unavailable for the remaining four games of the regular season and then the softball playoffs.
“It’s tough to see her hurt,” Kennedy said. “Having her on the mound made me so confident because I just knew she would pull through and be successful.
“At the plate, she was such a strong hitter. We always counted on her and she always came through.”
Waubonsie (7-15, 5-6) had split two previous games with Metea (7-12, 5-6), but the Mustangs had 13 hits Tuesday while taking advantage of 11 walks and six errors.
Morgan Cleveland, one of four sophomores and two freshmen in Metea’s lineup, had a pair of singles and a bases-loaded double to drive in five runs.
“Morgan has been a great team player for us,” said Michaela Schlattman, who’s in her first year as the Mustangs’ coach. “She’s always the loudest player on the bench, loudest on the field, and brings that energy with attitude and effort.
“It was great to see her with that big smile on second base. The kids seem to be buying in and trusting in the process and are doing a great job.”
Laub, a two-year varsity starter in basketball and softball at Waubonsie, has been playing both sports this spring.
She apparently came down on another player’s ankle and injured her knee.
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“Her mother said she heard a pop,” Waubonsie coach Valerie Wood said. “She had an MRI taken (Tuesday). We should know by (Wednesday).”
Laub leads Waubonsie in nearly every offensive category, batting .493 with 34 hits, eight home runs and 25 RBIs. She had pitched 103 1/3 innings.
Alison Keppler, who started and lost Tuesday, is second on the team with 23 1/3 innings.
“She’s a huge part of our team and we all really miss her,” Kennedy said of Laub.
The Warriors also played Monday without Laub, dropping a 20-3 decision to Naperville Central after splitting two previous games.
Waubonsie handed Naperville North (18-2) one of its two losses earlier in the season and only lost 3-0 and then in extra innings to Neuqua Valley (22-4).
“We were playing so well,” Wood said. “It’s knocked the wind out of our sails. It’s a big loss.”
Losing Kennedy to graduation will be another big loss, according to Wood.
This season, Kennedy is hitting .411 with 30 hits, six doubles, two triples, two homers and 14 RBIs.
One of those triples came Tuesday when she drove a shot to the wall in left-center off winning pitcher Nevaeh Cruz and then scored the Warriors’ lone run on a ground ball by Keppler.
“She’s just been rock solid for us ever since she was a freshman,” Wood said of Kennedy. “She’s a great leader, great overall kid and friend to everybody. She’s the best. I love her to death.”
Kennedy is from Mason, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati. She moved to the area in 2013. She played travel ball for the Orland Park Sparks but is moving this summer to the Dennison Silver Hawks.
Northern Kentucky’s staff began recruiting her in September of her junior year.
“It’s super close to all my family still in the area and it feels like I’m at home,” Kennedy said. “It was an easy decision to make. I love it there.”