Sabalaskey blanks LeRoy as Westville wins battle of area's best

WESTVILLE — You couldn’t have scripted a better matchup.

LeRoy, a team with a potent lineup that returned everyone from a Class 1A third-place state finish a year ago.

Westville, a team that had only lost two games all season and finally looked poised to make a postseason run.

Not to mention the pitching matchup. LeRoy junior Lilly Long had been solid all year, and Westville senior Abby Sabalaskey held every Tiger pitching record in the book.

It had Game of the Year written all over it.

That’s why it was a little surprising when the Tigers pulled away from the Panthers for a 9-0 win on Wednesday.

“No, not at all,” LeRoy coach Doug Hageman said of if he expected that final score. “We expected a really good game.”

“I thought (LeRoy) might have put some more runs on the board,” Westville coach Jay Katavich echoed.

What didn’t come as a surprise was Sabalaskey’s performance in the circle.

It was just another day at the office for the Northern Kentucky commit, striking out 15 batters in a complete-game victory, with her only blemishes being a walk in the first inning, a double in the fifth and another walk in the seventh.

Hageman said Sabalaskey is “as advertised,” adding that she’s one of the best pitchers he’s ever seen, and she showed it Wednesday.

“We were all really pumped up for the game, and the adrenaline was up,” Sabalaskey said. “I was just happy to have my team behind me. I knew my team was just as ready to play as I was, and we came out and performed.”

Westville (16-2) had the edge from the start. After Sabalaskey struck out three LeRoy (16-2) batters in the top of the first inning, the Tigers scored two runs in the bottom half.

Same deal in the second inning. Sabalaskey struck out the side, and the Tigers scored two runs.

“She was hitting her spots,” Katavich said of Sabalaskey. “She did a really great job. She does well in most of her games, but (Wednesday), she was really on.”

Hageman said Long has been battling a leg injury and hasn’t been 100 percent recently, which contributed to her struggle to find the strike zone Wednesday. She had six walks and one hit-by-pitch in just over two innings of work, and four of them came with the bases loaded, forcing in all four of Westville’s runs to that point.

Haley Cox took over in the third inning and held Westville scoreless through the fifth.

In that time, the Panthers were starting to figure out how to break through against Sabalaskey.

In the fourth inning, Natalie Loy hit a sharp line drive right at the right fielder, and Laila Carr subsequently hit a hard groundout to the second baseman. Kendyl Spratt recorded LeRoy’s first and only hit to lead off the fifth, a double to right-center field.

Sabalaskey didn’t care too much for that, as she retired the next three batters to get out of the jam and struck out the side the next inning.

“We knew runs were going to be tough to come by,” Hageman said. “We had a few hard-hit balls that were right at them. That’s how the game goes, and that’s what makes it so much fun.”

The Panthers put Khloe Builta in to pitch the sixth inning, and that’s when the Tigers’ strung a few hits together to score five more runs the more traditional way.

Daylin Zaayer led off with a triple to the right-field corner, and Laney Cook followed with a double to the same spot. Singles from Lilly Kiesel and Layla Atwood, a fielder’s choice from Madison Jones and another single by Addison Briggs, and Westville’s lead was up to 9-0.

Despite the deficit, the Panthers were still up on the fence and cheering just as loud as they were in the first inning. It encouraged Hageman, who was confident this loss won’t be too big of a setback for his team.

“It’s still four or five weeks away from when we need to be playing our best, and I still really like this team,” Hageman said. “In a few weeks, when it’s time to go, I think they’ll be ready to go. ... I still truly believe our best days are ahead of us.”

As for the Tigers, Wednesday’s performance against one of the best teams in the state showed what they’re capable of. Westville has only won one postseason game over the last three years, and Sabalaskey is hoping that’ll change next month.

“It definitely boosts our confidence, and I think it shows where we’re at,” Sabalaskey said of the win. “I’m excited to see how the rest of the season goes.”