Softball: Grace Hautzinger, Holly Smith lead St. Charles East past Huntley

ST. CHARLES – A fast start was the key for St. Charles East.

The Saints scored four runs in the first inning and pulled away to down Huntley, 9-3, in the first game of a nonconference doubleheader Thursday in St. Charles.

Grace Hautzinger went the distance in the circle for the Saints, allowing eight hits and striking out 11.

Hayden Sujack, Katelyn Morgan, Alyse Price and Holly Smith each had two hits for the Saints. Smith homered, scored twice, and drove in four.

St. Charles East’s first four batters of the game scored. Addison Wolf led off with a double to straightaway center field. Sujack singled, Samantha Gaca walked, and Morgan doubled in two. Back-to-back sacrifice flies by Smith and Samantha Beers plated two more.

The Saints (3-1) added two unearned runs in the third. Smith’s blast to right field scored Morgan and Price to make it 9-1.

After Smith’s homer, Huntley’s Gretchen Huber came on in relief and slammed the door on the Saints’ offense. She struck out five of the nine batters she faced, allowing only a single to her counterpart, Hautzinger.

Hautzinger’s curveball was working all day.

“It had a lot of looks, swings and misses,” she said. “My riseball was pretty good. It got better throughout the game.”

She, of course, appreciated the early run support.

“It’s good to know that my teammates have my back offensively as well as defensively,” she said.

The Red Raiders (3-2) finally got on the board in the fourth. Meghan Ryan doubled to the left field corner. Lyla Gynczycki followed with a single and Ryan scored on a double steal.

The Raiders made things interesting in the seventh. After they loaded the bases with two outs, Aubrina Adamik’s single brought in a pair. Christina Smith walked to reload the bases, but Hautzinger got a strikeout for the final out.

“Hats off to St. Charles East,” said Huntley coach Mark Petryniec. “[Hautzinger] did a really nice job on the mound today. She had us off, the swings just weren’t there. And they put the bat on the ball and played small ball.”

Ryan, Gynczycki and Madison Rozanski each had two hits for Huntley.

Huntley won the second game, 13-7. The Saints led 7-1 after three innings before Huntley scored five times in the fourth, four in the sixth and three in the seventh.

Adamik and Gynczycki both had two hits for the Red Raiders, who return to action Saturday at Lemont.

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