By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
NILES – A passed ball was all either team could muster on Thursday as Niles and rival Brandywine squared off in another classic softball confrontation.
The No. 1 ranked Lady Vikings scored a run in the bottom of the fourth to pull out the 1-0 victory over the No. 8 (Division 3) rated Lady Bobcats.
In a pitching duel between Niles' Jenna Ignowski and Brandywine's Kendra Zache, a ball that got away proved to be the difference.
Ignowski and Zache combined to strike out 17 hitters and walked just one on the day.
The pair each allowed the other team just two hits.
One of those hits, a double by Niles' Maggie Ernsberger set up the winning run.
Ernsberger, who had both hits for Niles, doubled to right-center field with one out in the fourth inning to start the winning rally.
Belle Spear came on to pinch run for Ernsberger and advanced to third on a wild pitch.
Spear probably should have scored on the next play as a fly ball off the bat of Ignowski was deep enough to score the go-ahead run.
But Spear appeared to leave early and headed back to third base.
She scored moments later on a passed ball.
"It's been a pretty typical story," Brandywine coach Jim Myers said. "We've given some games away this year."
The Lady Bobcats had two legitimate chances to score in the third and seventh innings, putting runners at second with just one out.
But each time, Ignowski rose to the occasion and struck out the next two batters as she finished the game with 11 punch-outs.
"Two good teams and two good pitchers," summed up Niles coach Gary Collins, who was Myers assistant at Brandywine for 10 years before taking the Vikings' job. "We just got the break. Maggie got the big hit and we moved her around."
While it was a pretty typical day on the mound for Ignowski, Myers and Collins both agreed that Zache had one of her top outings of the season.
"I think that's the best game she's pitched for us all year," Myers said. "If she pitches like that the rest of the year, we're going to win a lot of games."
Ignowski recorded her 21st shutout of the year, while in the process, raised her strikeout total to 322 in 166 innings of work.
The junior hurler has also given up just one earned run this season.
Brandywine's two hits came off of her came from Zache and Shawna Bromley.
Brandywine 000 000 0 – 0 2 0
Niles 000 100 x – 1 2 1
WP – Jenna Ignowski (N, 24-1) and Maggie Ernsberger
LP – Kendra Zache (B, x-x) and Jill Sater
2B: Maggie Ernsberger (N)
Records
Brandwywine 16-11, Niles 25-1