Softball: Madi Reeves’ pitching, power carry Yorkville past Neuqua Valley in sectional final rematch

YORKVILLE – Madi Reeves waved both arms to the side as she rounded the bases, then let out a huge scream as her Yorkville teammates mobbed her at home plate.

A home run celebration?

Actually, Reeves was happy just to get the at-bat.

“I was only supposed to have one at-bat that game. I was excited I could get that second one,” Reeves, a Foxes’ junior, said. “I asked for it after the first one. I don’t know, just excited.”

[ Photos: Yorkville vs. Neuqua Valley softball ]

She had plenty to smile about.

Reeves, as she did in last year’s sectional final, overpowered Neuqua Valley with her pitching, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning and striking out 13. She also showed she could hit, her two-run homer a part of Yorkville’s 5-0 win over the visiting Wildcats on a blustery April 6 afternoon.

With none out in the fifth and Yorkville already leading 2-0, Reeves went the opposite way with a liner that crept over the fence for her second career homer.

“I thought it was a little short, kind of looked like a line drive more than an over-the-fence,” Reeves said, “but I guess it went over.”

Reeves was over the moon about it, unleashing emotion she doesn’t always let out. Reeves last year recorded a school record 341 strikeouts in leading Yorkville past Neuqua to its first sectional title. But she pitched much more than she hit. Wednesday were her first at-bats of this season.

“I missed it last year, not hitting as much. I knew I wanted to this season,” Reeves said. “I have to focus more when I’m hitting, too.”

The two teams were very similar to the ones that met in last year’s sectional final on the same field, a 4-0 Yorkville win. The Foxes (8-2) have seven girls back, Neuqua (4-1) nine seniors and three underclassmen.

It was a bit too similar to last year for Wildcats’ coach Danielle Asquini’s liking.

In the sectional final, Reeves (5-2) took a perfect game into the seventh inning, striking out 13. On Wednesday, she struck out the side in the first and second innings, recorded her first eight outs by strikeout and no-hit Neuqua until Steph Hause served a two-out single to left in the sixth.

“We wanted to hit her early, make contact with the ball, try not to get too deep in the count and shorten up our swings a little bit to catch up with her. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen,” Asquini said. “This game was almost a spitting image of what we saw in the sectional game. Too many strikeouts looking, too many times we didn’t swing at balls we should have. Props to her; she kept firing away.”

Indeed, eight of Reeves’ 13 strikeouts April 6 came on called third strikes, several of them on screwballs cutting in on right-handed batters. She allowed only two baserunners, walking Maia Clifford in the first.

“I’ve been working a lot on my inside pitches,” Reeves said. “It seems like the velocity is harder to catch up to on the inside rather than the outside.”

Yorkville wasted no time providing Reeves with all the run support she would need.

Kaitlyn Roberts, who reached base in all three plate appearances, walked to lead off the Foxes’ first and took second on a wild pitch. Avery Nehring followed with a hard-hit ball over the third base bag to score Roberts. Ellie Alvarez then hit a smash under an infielder’s glove to bring home the second run of the inning.

“It absolutely does [help to score early],” Yorkville coach Jory Regnier said. “We hit line drives and the wind was blowing. We stayed solid, hit line drives, one base at a time, put pressure on them offensively.”

Roberts was catalyst to that aggressive mindset. She singled twice and stole two bases. In the fifth, she stole third after singling and taking second on an Alvarez single. She then scooted home on an errant throw to third.

Nehring and Alvarez both reached base twice for Yorkville.

“My mindset is always ‘take the extra base.’ Wherever I’m at, take that base, try to score,” said Roberts, who was thrown out trying to score from second in the third. “I was ready to face [Neuqua] knowing we faced them last year. We were ready to come at them again.”