Riley Silvers’ home run sparks Naperville Central comeback against DeKalb

DeKALB – DeKalb was up three runs at the start of the third inning with a pitcher who was cruising and an offense that was hitting the ball hard.

Naperville Central leadoff hitter Riley Silvers changed everything with one swing of the bat.

Silvers’ home run with two outs in the third inning broke up Cassidy Cavazos’ no-hitter and set the stage for the Redhawks’ comeback in an 8-4 win over DeKalb on Wednesday in DuPage Valley Conference play.

“I think it just picked everybody up,” said Silvers, a Florida International commit. “Being down [three], it kind of sucks. But when I hit that home run we got on the board, and every time you get on the board it’s just a boost of confidence. ... Everybody picked themselves up after that and had a little bit of a better head on their shoulders.”

The Barbs (9-4 overall, 2-1 DVC) led 4-2 heading into the sixth, but the Redhawks (5-6-1) had a six-run sixth inning to take command of the game. DeKalb committed three errors in the inning and the Redhawks managed just two hits, one a two-run triple by Silvers that pushed the lead to 7-4.

Cali Lenz had an RBI single earlier in the inning to tie the game at 4.

“I think it juiced everybody up,” Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum said. “She’s a special player, man. She’s a special player. ... She’s one of our best hitters.”

After that inning, the Barbs went six up, six down against Naperville Central starter Avery Miller.

Miller got the complete-game win, allowing nine hits, three earned runs and one walk. She struck out nine and allowed only two hits after the third inning.

“She got stronger as the game went on,” Nussbaum said. “She pitched our 8-3 win on Monday against Naperville North and it was similar in that case. She got stronger as the game went on. Your psyche is so much different when you’re pitching with a lead.”

DeKalb had three runs and five hits through its first two at bats, while Cavazos retired eight of the nine batters the first time through the lineup for the Redhawks.

The Barbs did respond in the bottom of the third with back-to-back doubles by Cavazos and Maddie Hallaron to push the lead back to 4-1. But they’d only get two more hits the rest of the game.

“I think we played really well through four solid innings,” DeKalb coach Erica Swan said. “We just had a one-inning struggle and failed to come back from that.”

Ayla Gould and Kennedy Latimer hit back-to-back doubles in the first, then singles by Izzy Aranda and Hallaron staked DeKalb to a 2-0 lead.

Gould added an RBI single in the second for a 3-0 advantage. Latimer, Gould, Cavazos and Hallaron each had two hits for the Barbs.

“We left some runners on, and we have to be able to bring those runners in when the time comes,” Swan said. “If you looked back we scored two, then one and one then lost momentum offensively. That didn’t help matters.”

The Barbs outhit the Redhawks 9-7 in the game.

Swan said the Barbs have struggled through some problem innings this season. In addition to the sixth inning Wednesday, they allowed 16 runs to Stillman Valley in the top of the fifth Saturday. They were up 8-2 but fell 16-8 before winning Game 2 of the doubleheader.

The Barbs committed four errors in that inning and finished the game outhitting the Cardinals 12-10.

“We’re struggling with that kind of one-inning curse right now,” Swan said. “We want to bounce back from that. It’s learning to play through adversity and not giving up when things start to go in the wrong direction.”