Softball: Benet hits way past Fenwick

Updated: May 14, 2012 8:52PM

Benet banged out 14 hits, including six doubles, and made it a great send-off for lone senior Kendall Duffy with a 10-4 victory over Fenwick Monday in Lisle.

The Redwings (28-4, 13-2 East Suburban Catholic Conference) celebrated “Kendall Duffy Day” while the Bradley-bound catcher contributed to the win with a two-bagger during a three-run first inning and added an RBI single in the second to help stake Benet to an early 5-2 lead.

Fenwick (16-12, 7-10) scored two runs in the third on a two-run homer by sophomore Maggie Horn and added two more in the third after senior Jenna Cairo tripled and came home on a sacrifice fly by Ashley Parenti. An RBI single off the bat of sophomore Jess Mrozek accounted for the Friars’ final run of the day as Benet pitcher Molly Moran (eight hits, one walk, five strikeouts) settled in and shut down Fenwick the rest of the way.

“Fenwick played well, they never gave up, and I thought we could have played a little bit better,” Benet coach Jerry Schill said. “We made some great plays to keep them off the board on a couple of occasions, but our defense has been pretty solid all year long. But overall, I’m happy with the win.

Schill said with just one senior, this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Redwings, who finished third in the state last season.

“We’ve gotten some great leadership from our catcher Kendall Duffy, she’s the heart and soul of this team. Look at all these people who came out just to see her,” he said, pointing to a big crowd cheering her on as she ran along the outfield fence, swapping high fives with her fans. “We didn’t have this many people come out on Senior Day when we had six people graduating. They love her. She keeps her teammates balanced and makes the game fun for them.

“She’s having a phenomenal season for us. She’s hitting about .480 with 40-some runs batted in, has seven home runs – and she didn’t have any her first three seasons. She’s leading the way for us.”

The Benet offense clicked as it has all year behind cleanup hitter Julianne Rurka, who had three hits and four runs batted in, and Marissa Panko, who was 3-for-3 with two doubles and also scored three times. Freshman Emily York (61 RBI this season) had a pair of hits and knocked in a run, while junior leadoff hitter Maeve McGuire (2-for-3, double), who leads the team with 14 homers, scored twice and had an RBI.

“I think when the season is over what I’m going to miss most is the players,” Duffy said. “I’ve made some best friends on this team.”

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