Is good pitching an art or science?
Good luck coming to a consensus on that question. The debate could rage ad infinitum.
One thing is certain, however. Performed like it was Friday by Oswego’s Jaelynn Anthony and Wheaton North’s Erin Metz, good pitching can produce an intriguing case of masterpiece theater.
The only thing missing over eight innings was dramatic music.
“She was on and just did a marvelous job,” Oswego coach Paul Netzel said of Anthony, his ace.
The sophomore right-hander also had a little help from a classmate.
Sophomore outfielder Savannah Page delivered a key defensive play in the bottom of the seventh, helping the Panthers prevail 1-0 in the Class 4A Plainfield North Sectional championship game.
Those super-sized efforts paced second-seeded Oswego (27-9) to the first sectional title in program history. The Panthers play at 4:30 p.m. Monday in the Illinois Wesleyan Supersectional against conference rival Minooka (31-3-1), an 11-0 winner over Belleville East.
Anthony fired a four-hit gem for the shutout, striking out six and only walking one as Oswego ousted top-seeded Wheaton North (28-7). And Page’s performance in center field was huge.
After Wheaton North pushed a runner to second base with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, sophomore designated player Alyssa Savenok lined a single into short center field.
Netzel had pulled his three outfielders in a bit, just in case a play at home would be needed.
“I knew what I had to do before the ball hit the bat,” Page said. “All it came down to was execution.”
A charging Page fielded the ball cleanly and threw a strike to Iowa-bound junior catcher Kiyah Chavez that beat the sliding runner to the plate by approximately six feet.
“That was beautiful,” Chavez said. “Savannah has a cannon — there just haven’t been many opportunities for her to show it. I don’t know why they sent her.”
Chavez, who thought she had nailed the Wheaton North runner twice by throwing behind her at first base earlier in the inning, applied a hard tag at the plate.
“I had to make sure,” Chavez said. “I wanted to send a message, too. They weren’t winning that game and they needed to know that.”
Page’s outstanding play set up Anthony’s heroics in the eighth inning.
Anthony struck out Wheaton North slugger Reagan Crosthwaite, who hit 18 home runs this spring, on a 3-2 pitch with two outs and the tying run on third. Metz (10 homers) was in the on-deck circle.
“Our scouting report said she hit inside pitches very well,” Anthony said of Crosthwaite. “I obviously did not throw her inside.”
In the top of the eighth, Anthony’s RBI single up the middle off Metz, the Valparaiso recruit, scored another speedster in senior right fielder Kaylee LaChappell with the game’s only run.
With the wind blowing out, keeping the ball low was important for both pitchers, according to Metz (18-5). She gave up six hits, walked one and struck out 13.
“Jaelynn’s an amazing pitcher,” Metz said. “She was making people chase. We did what we could and almost had it. In the end, we did not come out on top.”
Even more impressive, the two Oswego assistant coaches who have called pitches this season were unavailable, so Netzel turned to Chavez to fill that role.
“They have a strong lineup, so I was pretty nervous,” Chavez said. “I called pitches a lot last year. It ended up being on me, but it was a fun experience.”
Art or science?
Sometimes it just goes your way.
On the final pitch, Chavez said she called for an outside rise, but apparently, there was some miscommunication.
“I threw her a curve and she missed it,” Anthony said of a pitch that breaks down and away from right-handed hitters.
“The goal with her was to keep it outside,” Chavez said of Crosthwaite. “I caught a lot of low, outside balls, and thought with a rise, we’d get a swing. It ended up outside and low, so it worked.”
