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Sports

Girls Softball: Downers Grove South Brings Big Bats in Win Over West Aurora

Nichols and Tonoff both homer in 7-2 victory over West Aurora.

As a starting pitcher, it is easy to become tense when the offense isn’t working.

However, when Downer’s Grove South senior first baseman Jennifer Nichols stepped up to the plate against the West Aurora Blackhawks, the Mustangs' starting pitcher, Aleisha Bozek, was able to breathe easy.

Downer’s Grove South was able to hold off West Aurora in a non-conference battle
Tuesday night as they registered a 7-2 victory.

Nichols had a perfect day from the batter’s box, connecting on three hits in as many
attempts with a two-run homer and two RBIs. Mustang’s senior centerfielder Marissa Mersch (3-for-4; RBI and stolen base) also had a stellar day at the plate.

Mustang’s junior starting pitcher Aleisha Bozek (1-1) notched her first win of the season with a complete game; allowing one earned run on 11 hits and fanning four.
“A lot of times I rely on the screwball, which is my fastest pitch,” Bozek said. “The
first inning is always the toughest. I’m lucky I have a good team offensively to get some runs on the board.”

After the Mustangs retired the Blackhawks in the top of the first, Downers Grove South’s Mersch would connect on a single. Mustang’s catcher Katy LaCivita reached base and tallied an RBI scoring Mersch.

Later in the inning, Nichols on a 3-2 count, blasted a ball over the left field wall to take the early 3-0 lead in the first.

“I came out (to the field) early to hit off the tee with the coaches,” Nichols said. “I was practicing inside and outside pitches, too. (Blackhawks starting pitcher Francesca Evischi) had a lot of movement on the ball, but I was ready because I had so much practice before the game.”

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“I fouled it off a couple times before I hit (the homerun). (On the homerun pitch,
Evischi) threw it inside, which is where I usually like pitches, and I hit it with authority.”

The Mustangs opened up once again in the fourth, when Nichols led off the bottom of the inning. After Bozek reached on an error, and Mustangs senior left fielder Chelsea Lavin hit a single, the bases were loaded for Mersch.

Mersch cleared the bases by knocking a single; and advancing three bases off a West Aurora error to lead 6-0.

West Aurora (1-3) showed a strong offensive at the plate all game. The Blackhawks out-hit the Mustangs 11-10, but West Aurora stranded 11 base runners.

Bozek pitched a shut out for five and one-third innings. Blackhawks catcher Jamie Avery singled, leftfielder Elizabeth Ronan walked and first basemen Christina Hunger singled to load the bases in the top of the sixth.

Evischi helped her own cause by driving Avery in for the first West Aurora run off a
single. An error would later score Helms.

However, two runs were all the Blackhawks could total as Bozek regained control.
“We’ve been hitting well all year,” said West Aurora head coach Sarah Nagy. “We had two players with two players with three hits. (Evischi) pitched very well, but (Downers Grove South) is a talented hitting team.”

“We had two crucial errors today that took us out of the game. In the games we’ve lost, we have errors that hurt us. We’re still trying to work that out. We get the hits but we just can’t seem to get the timely hits.”

West Aurora stand-out hitters were Avery (3-for-4; three singles and one run), and
Hunger (3-for 4; three singles).

West Aurora travels to play Rosary Thursday.

In bottom of the sixth, Downers Grove South connected on a second homerun by pinch hitter Jackie Tonoff. Both homers were on 3-2 counts.

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“I feel we can get a little better,” said Downers Grove South head coach Ron
Havelka. “We have a lot of returning starters this year. If we step up the quality of our game, and (Downers Grove South) can play like they’re capable of, we’ll have a good year.

Downers Grove South plays host Bolingbrook Wednesday.

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