The conditions were not favorable to St. Charles East pitcher Izzy Howe.
Monday’s temperature had dropped into the 40s, and a strong crosswind blowing from left field to right made it feel even colder for the DuKane Conference showdown.
Howe has committed to Coastal Carolina, a Division I program based in the metropolitan area of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, that features a more moderate climate.
It has long been her dream school.
“My grandparents live down there,” said Howe, who’s in her fourth varsity season. “I love going to Myrtle Beach. I love the beach. I don’t like cold weather.”
Monday was no day at the beach, however, even if Howe’s line in the box score made it appear that way.
She took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of a 7-1 victory against St. Charles North before giving up a one-out infield single to speedster Leigh VandeHei.
Two days earlier, Howe had thrown a two-hit shutout in 70-degree temperatures to beat Huntley 1-0.
Howe (9-1), who walked three and hit three, struck out 13 Monday for St. Charles East (14-2, 3-1). She survived a shaky first inning, allowing a run to the North Stars (8-2, 3-1) without a hit.
VandeHei reached on an error to start the game, stole second and scored on a wild pitch after back-to-back walks moved her to third base.
“The ump definitely had a tight strike zone,” Howe said. “I just needed to adjust, and I adjusted.”
VandeHei, a slap hitter and Butler recruit, was a thorn in Howe’s side. VandeHei also reached on a walk, another error and, finally, the infield single.
“She’s definitely quick,” Howe said. “My goal is to not let her get on base because when she does, she just goes.
“My inside pitches were definitely working the most. I was getting strike calls all on the inside except for a couple riseballs.”
Melanie Stathopoulos evened things up with a one-out line drive to center for her third home run of the season.
“I just go up there and try to get something started,” Stathopoulos said. “I try to go up with the least amount of pressure on myself and just swing at strikes.
“She was pitching us outside so I knew what to expect — put a good swing on it and it worked out in my favor. I got the good part of the bat on the ball, and I think the wind helped me on that one.”
It started a four-run rally off St. Charles North pitcher Ava Goettel (6-1) that included a triple by Stephanie Schnite and a two-run triple by Nikki Johnston.
It was all Howe needed, but Stathopoulos added an RBI single in a three-run fifth.
Stathopoulos didn’t worry about Howe’s early struggles.
“The way Izzy pitches is electric,” Stathopoulos said. “She shuts down a lot of batters. It’s awesome to see when we’re in the field.”
St. Charles North coach Tom Poulin had to shuffle his infield defense, moving three players to different spots after starting shortstop Auburn Roberson went home from school with an illness.
“The first inning I thought we had quality at bats, but from there, we were kind of guessing,” Poulin said. “Then defensively we did some things we normally don’t do, extended innings.
“St. Charles East, as always, is strong. They don’t need more outs.”
Rolling along: Junior pitcher Madi Reeves recorded all 21 outs on strikeouts Thursday for Yorkville, throwing a two-hit shutout in a 7-0 win over Oswego after receiving a no decision Wednesday in a 9-8 win at Minooka.
“She was unbelievable, just in complete control,” Foxes coach Jory Regnier said. “Coming off the weather the day before and two back-to-back games made it more impressive.”
Reeves (11-3) followed that up Monday by recording 14 of 15 outs on strikeouts in another two-hit shutout for an 11-0 win over Plainfield East. Lauren Koster, Avery Nehring and Ally Stancel all hit their first home runs for the Foxes.
Grace’s gem: Kaneland’s Grace Algrim, backed by Emily Olp’s home run, struck out 13 and pitched a no-hitter Monday in a 9-0 win over Sandwich.
