It’s what pitching is all about, and Oswego East’s Kenzie Gatz had it going on.
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Gatz epitomized the term “savvy veteran” Monday as she kept opposing hitters guessing.
It was a late-season game that, on the surface, appeared to have ho-hum potential. Playing out the string is seldom the case, however, when the Wolves meet crosstown rival Oswego.
“Everything was working for me,” said Gatz, a senior right-hander and St. Mary’s Minnesota commit. “I was working with whatever zone the ump was giving me. I was hitting a few spots that were probably a little bit more off the plate because I was getting the calls.
“I just tried to work around the zone, note where batters were in the box and change my speeds a little to try to throw them off.”
Backed by a 20-hit attack obviously helped Gatz in the 13-5 Southwest Prairie Conference victory, but she also contributed four hits herself, lifting her batting average to .341.
In the circle, Gatz scattered five hits with three walks but struck out 10, with seven batters looking at called third strikes.
“I know we took a lot of them,” Oswego coach Paul Netzel said. “Early on, we needed to make the adjustment at the plate and didn’t do it. We’re getting ready for regionals, and we’ve got to get it back together.”
The Panthers (22-9, 10-4) are seeded third in the Class 4A Oswego Sectional that begins next week. Oswego East (19-10, 9-6) is seeded fourth.
“The rivalry is always a part of it, getting us so pumped up because we want to win so bad,” Gatz said. “But the fact they had fewer losses, we wanted to stick it to them and show them we can beat them and prove ourselves.”
The Wolves won the earlier conference meeting 8-1.
Gatz (6-2) has a 3.07 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 73 innings. She made one mistake Monday, giving up the first home run of the season to Oswego’s Maddie Hernandez in the top of the fourth.
The three-run blast cut the lead to 6-5, but the Wolves answered with three runs in the bottom half and Gatz cruised from there.
All three of Netzel’s pitchers struggled and so did his defense, committing four errors.
Sophomore catcher/third baseman Kiyah Chavez has been sidelined with a thumb injury, so Netzel’s lineup is unsettled as he tries to find the right defensive combination.
Playoffs set: Yorkville, which grabbed the top seed in the sectional at Oswego, hosts its own regional. Wheaton North is seeded second and plays at West Chicago.
Defending state champion St. Charles North is the top seed in a Class 4A sectional the North Stars are hosting and will open their title defense at the Glenbard West Regional.
Rounding out the top four in the St. Charles North field are Lake Park, South Elgin and Fremd. The Storm host a regional and will likely face fifth-seeded St. Charles East in the final.
The Saints went 4-0 last week, including a 2-1 win over the North Stars to even the season series at 1-1.
“This is huge for us to win this game,” St. Charles East catcher Samantha Gaca said. “We had a little bit of a rocky start in the first two conference games, but we’ve been rolling.
“The energy has been higher.”
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Despite nine losses, Saints coach Jarod Gutesha isn’t worried, noting his team’s tough schedule.
“This is a team that’s as good as any team in the sectional,” he said. “We’re gonna be just fine.”
Playing Peoria: With just one loss, Newark can’t help but think about a return trip to state in Class 1A. Ottawa Marquette could be a big hurdle at sectional.
“We have nine girls that play travel ball,” Newark coach Tim Schofield said. “That’s kind of odd for a school with just 145 kids. Usually a 1A school is lucky to have three to five players in travel.”