Oswego sophomore Leah McKenzie continues sizzling start, homers in win over Wheaton Warrenville South

WHEATON – Leah McKenzie did not know she’d be Oswego’s starting second baseman until the eve of the season opener, but she’s hardly a surprise to her coaches or older teammates.

While Oswego’s varsity team was going to state last year, McKenzie was tearing it up as a freshman at the lower levels. Then she put in the work, 5 a.m. lifts with her senior teammates in the weight room.

And now?

“I’m just trying to do my job, have good at-bats,” McKenzie said. “I’m not trying to do anything special.”

On a team with six returning starters off a state team, the sophomore has fit like a glove.

McKenzie homered for the second time in a week on Thursday, continuing her sizzling start to the season. The solo shot proved the difference in Oswego’s 2-1 win at Wheaton Warrenville South in a matchup of unbeatens.

Winning pitcher Aubriella Garza, who struck out nine in a five-hit gem, is glad to have her young teammate aboard.

“She’s killing it,” Garza said. “The first time she didn’t hit it over the fence, we joked to her to hit the weight room. I really pushed to have her on the team because I know what she can do.”

McKenzie nearly homered in her first and third at-bats Thursday, deep flies to center and left. She didn’t miss in between, a towering drive to left for a solo homer to lead off the fourth for a 2-0 lead.

“I was upset the first time because I hit it right at the fence,” McKenzie said. “I just needed to hit it straight through, and it went over.”

McKenzie isn’t missing many pitches these days. Through eight games she’s leading Oswego (8-0) starters with a .538 average, and is tied with Garza for the team lead with 10 RBIs.

“Feels pretty good, taking it one game at a time,” McKenzie said. “I’ve been lifting now for about a year with coach [John] Hugunin. It’s helped a ton.”

McKenzie, batting seventh, is making it hard for pitchers to breathe easy after they make their way through the meat of Oswego’s potent lineup.

“She was on our radar from the start, but she’s definitely performed well,” Oswego co-coach Annie Scaramuzzi said. “I feel like she’s found her groove. It’s been cool to see her find her stride. That’s the kind of hitter she is. She does this in practice all the time.”

Garza, an NIU recruit, knows a thing or two about hitting heroics, but did her best work Thursday in the circle.

She scattered five hits and three walks, getting inning-ending strikeouts four times with runners on base, including a three-pitch strikeout to end the game with a runner at first. And Garza (3-0) seemed to have a little extra juice matching zeroes with WW South ace Presley Wright.

“I was really feeling it today,” Garza said. “I know the pitcher on the other team, I’ve played with her the last year and the year before that in travel and I know she’s a good competitor. I just love having the fun and having the challenge.”

Garza’s been up to the challenge so far this season, not allowing an earned run over 17 innings with 25 strikeouts.

“I’ve just been working on my movement, really dialing that in,” Garza said.

Wright, for her part, was dialed in against an Oswego lineup that had scored 77 runs over its first seven games.

She was touched for a run in the first, a two-out RBI single by Purdue recruit Jaelynn Anthony. But Wright limited the Panthers to five hits the rest of the way, striking out three.

Alison Hubsky’s single that scored Becca Chaney in the sixth accounted for the Tigers’ lone run.

“I thought Presley pitched well, managed most of her pitches really well. When the wind blows out here, this place plays like 160 [feet],” WW South coach Jeff Pawlak said. She’s not going to blow anybody away with velocity by any means but she can execute and locate on the corners."

Pawlak liked the showing from his young group against an Oswego team that beat WW South (6-1) in last year’s sectional semifinal.

“I told the girls I’m really proud of them,” he said. “We have a bunch of question marks coming into the year. We made our plays, battled to the end. I thought we had really competitive at-bats and didn’t seem fazed. Disappointed we lost, proud in how we played.”