Sabrina Zamora, Kennedy Gengler clutch hits key Oswego’s comeback past Wheaton North to sectional title

OSWEGO – Sabrina Zamora came to bat Friday in a spot that a girl dreams about.

Only she offered a slightly different spin on it.

“When I went up to bat with the bases loaded, I was like ‘I bet this pitcher thinks I’m her worst nightmare right now,’” Oswego’s senior said. “The bases were loaded, and I was on everything.”

Zamora, in and out of the lineup this season with the fewest plate appearances of any starter, might not seem the Oswego girl most likely to carry that kind of swagger. But her bat suggested otherwise.

Zamora hit a two-strike, two-run tying double with two out in the bottom of the fifth. Kennedy Gengler followed with a go-ahead two-run double, and Oswego went on to a 5-2 win over Wheaton North in the Class 4A Oswego Sectional final.

Oswego (35-2), who beat Wheaton North (24-9) for the second straight year in a sectional final, advanced to face Marist in Monday’s supersectional matchup at Benedictine University between the state’s second and third-ranked teams.

And the Panthers did it with their second straight rally from a two-run deficit, Zamora and Gengler providing the big hits in both games. Wheaton North went ahead 2-0 in the top of the fifth on a two-run homer by Reagan Crosthwaite.

Oswego answered with five in the bottom half, all the runs coming with two out.

“I think we all knew we weren’t going to go down without a fight,” Gengler said. “We just had a feeling.”

Zamora had a feeling when she came up after Rikka Ludvigson’s single to load the bases. Zamora singled and doubled her first two at-bats against Wheaton North ace Hannah Wulf, a South Carolina commit.

Wulf’s heavy ball had produced nine ground ball outs the first four innings. Zamora, though, was on it.

“When we watched the game yesterday I was seeing a lot of drop balls – and she has a good drop ball," Zamora said. “So I went and practiced and did toss with my dad and practiced on hitting drop balls. I was ready.”

So, too, was Gengler, who also had the go-ahead two-run double in the sixth inning on Tuesday to beat Yorkville. This time the junior shortstop, who like Zamora was in and out of the lineup this season, drilled a double to deep center.

“I honestly think I hit better under pressure,” Gengler said. “I get a certain calm.”

Oswego co-coach Annie Scaramuzzi is calm with any of her girls at the plate, no matter where in the order.

“We said from the beginning it would take 1-17. It’s not always going to be our star players,” Scaramuzzi said. “We don’t win these games without the bottom of the order and their clutch hits.”

Zamora in her at-bat quickly got down two strikes, fouled off two pitches. And then delivered her double to left-center.

“She was fouling so many pitches off – she was on that at-bat from the first pitch on," Scaramuzzi said. “She was fouling pitches off until she got the one she liked. That’s Sabrina’s M.O. and that’s how she worked her way into the lineup.”

She may just have 61 plate appearances in 24 games this season, but Zamora has swung a good bat. She’s hit .433 on the year with multiple hits in three of four playoff games.

“When you do get your opportunities,” Zamora said, “you have to make the most of them.”

Oswego made the most of a two-out Wheaton North error on a grounder hit by Oswego’s Jaelynn Anthony that opened the door to the rally. A second infield error extended the inning, and Adalyn Fugitt’s infield hit brought in a fifth run.

“Against good teams like that you can’t make those mistakes,” Wheaton North coach Allie Ravanesi said. “We always talk about preventing the big inning and we did not do that today.”

Fittingly for the Falcons, it was Crosthwaite who put them nine outs from the program’s first sectional title.

Crosthwaite, who owns Wheaton North’s single-season and career home run records, hit an 0-2 pitch from Anthony for a two-run homer.

It was Crosthwaite’s 15th homer this season, but first in exactly a month – against Oswego.

“It was perfect,” Ravanesi said. “So happy for her.”

It was also the first earned runs Anthony had allowed this postseason.

Wheaton North loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh off the Purdue recruit. But on the eighth pitch of the final at-bat she got a grounder to Fugitt at second.

Anthony, who struck out nine, also got out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fourth.

“I thought she just fought so hard,” Scaramuzzi said. “That was a grind for Jae. She fought like heck out there. She feeds off the momentum that the offense and defense creates for her. Once we scored those five it was game over.”