On April 9, the West Chicago Wildcats defeated the Larkin Royals in a tightly-contested matchup at Pioneer Park in West Chicago.

After the recent win against Glenbard South, the Wildcats were trying to keep the momentum going into the game. Senior Scout Gallagher got the start on the mound for the Wildcats. She went 1-2-3 to start the top of the first inning.

Sophomore Sophia Ptak was the leadoff hitter for the Wildcats; Ptak got the ball rolling with a double that helped the offense get moving on the field.

Junior Jasmyn Trigueros hit a ball hard for a single and got the Wildcats on the board with a 1-0 lead. That would be it for the Wildcats in the top of the first inning.

In the top of the second inning, the Royals got onto the board with a fielding error by the Wildcats, making the score 1-1. But the Wildcats were not to be silenced: they responded in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI single by Ptak, bringing the score to 2-1.

For the team, the early lead was a good start.

“I just wanted to pitch [well] in this game and make sure to keep my team in the game,” Gallagher said.

However, the bats went cold for both teams as the pitchers dominated this game. In the fifth inning, the Royals tied it up with an RBI single and put the Wildcats in a tough position.

“We had to battle in this game, and we knew we had to be more patient in the at-bats to get the runs on the board,” Trigueros said.

It came down to the bottom of the seventh for the Wildcats. Ptak got the inning started with a double. Then, junior Summer Silks came up to bat and made a base hit – one that brought Ptak home, and won the game for the Wildcats.

“I just wanted to get a hit and win the game for our team. Especially this game when we didn’t hit the best,” Silks said.

West Chicago’s softball team is now undefeated at 4-0.