Senior shortstop Nikki Chamberlin did her fair share of pulling. But she also did a lot of directing.
Very verbal directing.
Oak Forest coach Nick Fuentes smiled as he watched Chamberlin and her teammates cover the infield with the tarp after Tuesday’s game against T.F South.
“That’s Mama Bear out there,” Fuentes said. “She likes to yell at everybody. It’s her thing.”
The important thing? Everybody listened.
Earlier, Chamberlin spoke volumes with her bat for the Bengals during an 8-2 South Suburban Blue victory.
Erika McCarthy had three hits, including a two-run double. Chamberlin, Amber Richter, Melanie Andrysiak and Hailey Wesner added two hits apiece for Oak Forest (7-4, 7-0).
Laurielle Weddle homered twice for T.F. South (4-5, 2-3).
Chamberlin had a pair of singles and a walk, upping her batting average to .515. She was flawless on two grounders at shortstop and tagged out a would-be base stealer at second.
She has one home run, but …
“I’m not looking to swing for the fences,” Chamberlin said. “I’m trying to put the ball in play and move my runners. I’m really looking to get on that base.”
Chamberlin’s second hit was a key one, helping push along a six-run sixth inning that broke a 2-2 tie.
Her “Mama Bear” status, meanwhile, has been a work in progress.
“As a sophomore, she was part of that COVID crew that missed out on some of the times of being an underclassman, watching leadership happen,” Fuentes said. “She was sort of trying to leap blindly.”
Chamberlin and the Bengals were a bit out of sorts during a season-opening trip to Tennessee that didn’t go very well. They finished 0-4.
When they returned, Chamberlin started asserting herself. The Bengals have now won seven in a row.
“I’ll do anything for this team,” Chamberlin said. “I really want to see us go far, and I’m really proud of how far we’ve already come since that trip.
“When I talk, I stay focused so it keeps my head in it. If it keeps everybody’s head in it, bonus for them. I don’t like to be too loud because I don’t want them feeling that I’m mean. I just want everybody to be focused.”
Wesner, for one, is all ears in the pitching circle. She listens for Chamberlin’s voice at shortstop.
“She’s a great leader,” Wesner said. “She’s a senior who knows her role. She’s always out there encouraging everyone and helping everyone.
“When I’m pitching, I always hear her out there, trying to tell me, ‘You’ve got this.’ She’s very encouraging.”
Wesner (6-2) had a solid day, striking out 11 while allowing just two hits.
“I was just out there trying to hit my spots and let my defense do the rest,” Wesner said. “I’m always ready to pitch when I’m needed. I’ve always been able to have the stamina to pitch in a lot of games, I love the competition we have in this conference this season.”
The two hits that Wesner allowed were loud ones.
In both of her at-bats, Weddle took slightly outside pitches and pulled them well over the fence in left field. On defense, she also made two nice catches in center field.
T.F. South coach Dave Klupchak elected to bat Weddle eighth in the order instead of using a designated hitter. He may keep her there.
“Laurielle can hit the ball hard,” Klupchak said. “She’s working on getting her strike zone down, and she has improved in center field immensely. She can track the ball well. She’s got a really strong arm. A lot of good stuff.”
She looked like a natural.
“Those were actually my first two home runs ever,” Weddle said. “I usually hit my long balls into left field. But they don’t go that deep.
“The first one, I kind of thought it was going out, but the second one I expected to stay in. It was fun.”
