You certainly could have fooled St. Charles East’s Hannah Wulf.
Any pitcher throwing a no-hitter through five innings could reasonably expect to describe the experience as smooth sailing. This one, however, was more like choppy waters.
“I honestly didn’t know I was throwing a no-hitter until they got that one hit and then somebody told me,” said Wulf, a South Carolina recruit. “I try not to think about a no-hitter in the middle of it.
“As a pitcher, I feel it’s kind of superstitious, so I try not to think about it the whole game because if I do, then somebody will get a hit.”
That almost didn’t happen Saturday.
Wulf struck out out eight but dealt with runners aplenty in throwing a one-hitter for a 1-0 win over Fremd in the Class 4A Bartlett Sectional championship game. She hit four batters and walked two.
The senior left-hander ended up with only one 1-2-3 inning for the Saints — the first.
“When she needed to come through, she was clutch,” St. Charles East coach Jarod Gutesha said. “She was great for us. It was a tight zone, too, and both pitchers had to pitch through it.
“Both threw well, and a 1-0 game is testament to the way they both pitched.”
Senior right-hander Molly Kanupke struck out six and gave up five hits and three walks for fourth-seeded Fremd (19-8-1).
Morgan Beers would single and score in the sixth for the second-seeded Saints (31-8), who play at 4:30 p.m. Monday against Marist (35-1) at The Ballpark at Rosemont in a supersectional.
“It was a crazy game with all those hit by pitches,” said Wulf, who hit Fremd’s Emily Usalis in both the third and fifth innings. “It wasn’t her fault — it was all me.”
Gutesha explained that hitters don’t necessarily try to crowd the plate on Wulf, who has battled through 26 walks and 17 hit batters this spring.
“Hannah throws a curveball that kind of runs in on the righties,” he said.
And according to Wulf, “sometimes, even my fastball runs in on right-handers, too. It wasn’t my best game with command but we got the job done.”
Fremd stranded seven runners, including two at third base and two at second.
Wulf’s tightest jam came in the fifth when she plunked the leadoff hitter and then gave up the lone hit, a sharp single to center by Audrie Corrado.
But Wulf buckled down, striking out the next three.
“I knew I had to attack a little bit harder with those three batters,” Wulf said. “I really concentrated on Hayden (Sujack), my catcher. She called a great game and I really trusted her and my infield.
“We’ve been pretty lights out on defense through postseason.”
That included the only two other hard hit balls by the Vikings, tough chances senior right fielder Lexi Majkszak handled with ease.
“A ball goes out there, I know she’s catching it,” Sujack said.
Sujack, also a South Carolina commit, walked twice and delivered a key single in the sixth.
It sent Morgan Beers, on with a one-out single, to third. One out later, Beers scored an unearned run when Fremd’s second baseman made a nice stop on Majkszak’s sharp grounder but the first baseman couldn’t handle the throw.
Sujack explained how good Wulf was Saturday.
“The thing with Hannah, she’s an inside-pitch pitcher,” Sujack said. “It sounds mean, but I’d rather her have these misses on the hit by pitches because I know that her stuff is working. Her stuff was really good. Her stuff looked great — she just had a couple of wonky pitches.
“That curve? It’s a dirty pitch.”
And the rematch with Marist, which took a 4-0 nonconference decision in April at St. Charles East?
“It’s a great team,” Wulf said. “Anyone can beat anybody, any day. We’re excited.”
