Adalynn Fugitt delivers game-winning hit as Oswego rallies to beat Lincoln-Way East in nine-inning thriller

OSWEGO – Adalynn Fugitt is skilled enough at the art of hitting to know there is more than one way to get the job done.

She put that to good use Saturday.

Oswego’s freshman leadoff hitter twice failed to get a bunt down with a runner at third base with the game tied in the ninth.

On the third pitch, though, Fugitt slapped a hit the opposite way over the infield, bringing in Natalie Muellner as Oswego rallied past Lincoln-Way East 5-4 in nine innings in a thriller between state-ranked teams.

“My goal, honestly, is to put the ball in play where they couldn’t get to it,” Fugitt said. “You kind of take a deep breath, think about all the work that you put in, and do your thing.”

Oswego (25-1) is doing the comeback thing this week against ranked teams, just in different ways.

On Tuesday the Panthers hit four straight home runs in a six-run seventh to stun Wheaton North 14-12. This time it was five singles, a walk and a sacrifice fly that added up to two runs in the seventh to force extra innings, and one run to win it in the ninth.

“We knew this was going to be probably the toughest team we’ve faced yet,” Oswego co-coach Annie Scaramuzzi said. “We needed to play clean defense, execute on offense, small ball in the clutch situations and they did it.”

Oswego’s bottom three hitters and Fugitt, who went 0 for their first 9, were the ones that did it.

No. 7 hitter Muellner and No. 9 hitter Savannah Page singled to start the seventh-inning rally, and Fugitt’s bunt single set up Kiyah Chavez’s sacrifice fly that scored two runs.

Muellner walked to start the ninth, and one out later Page singled her to third to set the stage for Fugitt’s heroics.

“First two at-bats I struck out, I was in my head a little bit,” Muellner said. “I went to get a few more swings in the cage with coach Annie and before my next at bat I took a deep breath and I told myself I can do this.”

Scaramuzzi noted the adjustment the bottom of her lineup made.

“I think they made a great adjustment on pitch selection,” Scaramuzzi said. “We were swinging at pitches earlier in the game that we knew the umpire was not giving us, low and outside, we were chasing it. I told them to relax, take a strike, see the ball and stick to your zone. They did a great job of executing.”

Oswego is used to seeing Fugitt get it done by now.

The speedster who holds three Traughber Junior High track records played one game for the JV team to start the season, but it didn’t take the Oswego coaches long to figure out they’d found their leadoff hitter.

“We knew we were missing speed at the top of the order. We had Kaylee [LaChappell] at the top of the order last year and she was a game-changer for us,” Scaramuzzi said. “We knew Adalynn had the potential and she’s done nothing but step up in that spot. She hits for power, she can bunt, she can slap. She’s going to put pressure on the defense no matter what.”

Fugitt used to bat righty, but she looks like a natural lefty slapper, like she did in the ninth Saturday.

“That was a hard slap there. I’m just trying to knock it out of the infield,” Fugitt said. “Bunt, soft slap, hard slap, there are so many different things you can do.”

Lincoln-Way East (21-4) led 4-2 to the seventh on the strength on a huge day from Maddie Henry. The Penn State recruit, who was 3 for 3 and reached base all five times, doubled in a run in the first.

She tripled in two runs in the second, scoring on an Anie Balta single for a 4-2 lead.

With the bases loaded and one out in the seventh, Chavez hit a deep drive to right that scored Muellner. But a second run was able to come home when the throw back to the infield got away. An errant throw also contributed to Oswego scoring two unearned runs in the first.

“These are the types of games you want to play heading into the postseason,” Lincoln-Way East coach Elizabeth Hyland said. “There are some things we need to tighten up.”

The Griffins had multiple runners on base in seven of nine innings, but didn’t score over the last six. Mia Balta had three hits and was on base four times, while Mackenzie Bacha had two hits.

“We had ample opportunities,” Hyland said. “We just didn’t come through with the clutch hit.”

Oswego’s Jaelynn Anthony, who went all nine innings and threw 165 pitches, got out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh. And then she stranded runners on second and third in the ninth.

“Jae is a fighter,” Scaramuzzi said. “She’s going to get the job done. She gets better against better teams.”