Key catch by Callie Mertes helps La Salle-Peru in 1-0 win over Ottawa

OTTAWA — The La Salle-Peru softball team held a one-run lead heading to the bottom of the sixth inning against rival Ottawa.

Pirates’ No. 9 hitter Annamaria Corsolini started the frame with a two-strike single off Cavaliers’ pitcher Taylor Vescogni — one of only two hits she allowed in the game.

On the second pitch to leadoff batter Rylee Harsted, Corsolini took off toward second and Harsted made contact. The line drive looked ticketed to find the centerfield grass.

“We all knew we had to pick things up on defense with our hitting not doing so well,” L-P senior second baseman Callie Mertes said. “Once their first batter got on all I was thinking about was if we have a chance to turn two we’ve got to make it happen.

“I just saw the ball off the bat and said to myself ‘You have to get to this.’”

Mertes ended up making a reaching backhand stab, then fired to first to complete the double play and the Cavs held on for a 1-0 Interstate 8 Conference victory.

The win was the 20th in a row for L-P (25-3, 8-0) and clinched at least a share of the league title.

“I really didn’t know I had caught it right away but it ended up in the very end of glove,” Mertes said with a smile. “From there I saw that the runner was pretty far off of first and I just had to make a good throw.”

Ottawa dropped to 14-8 overall and 4-4 in conference action.

“As it turned out, that play was the game,” L-P coach Randy Huebbe said of the play by Mertes. “Off the bat I didn’t think there was any way Callie was getting to that ball, but she did. Then she did a great job of knowing the situation to make the throw back to first. The momentum swung back to us in a matter of two pitches.”

While the two teams played an over three-hour, 14-inning contest 17 days ago, Wednesday’s game finished in just 1 hour and 15 minutes.

“This game played out very similar to our first one, but with Taylor and (Ottawa pitcher) Addie (Russell) going you kind of figure that might be the case,” Huebbe said. “Ottawa’s lineup is full of really good hitters. Taylor did a great job and is really on a roll right now. She’s controlling all of her pitches, which allows me to call any pitch in any situation. Today, we went with a changeup in a full-count spot a few times, not a pitch a hitter is looking for, and she was able to get the strikeout or weak contact.”

Vescogni walked just one and struck out nine, while Russell scattered five hits, allowed no earned runs or walks and fanned eight.

The only run in the game came in the top of the third. L-P leadoff batter Karmen Piano poked a one-out single to left, then stole second and third before touching home plate on a two-out Ottawa throwing error.

Russell was able to keep things at a one-run deficit by working out of trouble in the fourth and seventh innings, stranding a trio of runners in scoring position.

“We were trying to make something happen with the hit-and-run (in the sixth),” Ottawa coach Adam Lewis said. “I told Rylie we were sending Annamaria on the second pitch, but don’t take a pitch right down the middle, put a good swing on it, which she did. It was probably the hardest ball hit all game but (Mertes) made a really nice play to get to it.

“Addie threw the ball extremely well today, but so did Taylor. Both of them were lights out. We made a mistake to give them one and then we just were unable to really get anything going. We had a couple runners reach second with two outs but didn’t come up with that big hit to break through.”

Ottawa is back in action at East Peoria on Friday. L-P is off until Monday when it hosts Rochelle.