Kougars’ bats come around
Rosado and Shultz hit HRs as Kankakee Valley slugs out win against Munster
Kankakee Valley’s Carmen Rosado emerged from her early season struggles in a big way Monday.
The junior outfielder hit two home runs as the visiting Kougars outslugged Munster 12-7 in a Northwest Crossroads Conference game.
Rosado hit a three-run homer as part of an eight-run third inning in which Kankakee Valley (4-1, 2-0) sent 12 batters to the plate, and she added a solo shot in the fifth. Rosado entered the game against Munster (5-3, 1-1) having gone 2 for 12.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Rosado said. “I feel like it really pumped the team up. I’ve been in a slump lately, so it made me feel pretty good about myself. … I really came around.”
She’s been spending a lot of time working on hitting in her garage and taking lessons.
“I was dipping a lot on my swing,” Rosado said. “I had to go back to the basics when I was practicing at home. It really helped me.”
Rosado’s breakout didn’t surprise Kankakee Valley coach Amanda Suarez.
“She did not come out super strong at the beginning of the year, but we knew it was going to come,” Suarez said. “We’ve seen her perform before, so we were just waiting for it.
“It was just nerves, it was new. She’s been in our program before, and we were expecting big things from her. It was just a matter of time.”
Mary Kate Shultz, a senior who pushed through a complete game with 12 strikeouts and one walk, had two hits, including a two-run homer in the third that gave Kankakee Valley a 4-3 lead.
Each of the Kougars’ nine batters had at least one hit, and they collected 14. They had scored five runs in their previous three games.
Josephine Short had two doubles, including one to drive in a run. Hayley Alexander and Mady Peterson each had two hits, and Peterson also drove in a run.
“This was huge for us,” Suarez said. “We did not put up the runs at the plate we should’ve. We were disappointed in our hitting.
“We knew the bats were coming. I’ve seen them in practice. (Monday) they finally showed up. Everything finally came full circle.”
Munster’s Paige Vukadinovich went 5 for 5, including a leadoff homer on the first pitch and a pair of run-scoring singles. Ariel Gallardo went 4 for 4 with two doubles, and Holly Kaim had two hits, including a threerun homer in the third, as the Mustangs also had 14 hits.
“Munster is hands-down a team you never count out, never until the very last out of the game,” Suarez said. “They’re always aggressive every year. They’re coached very well. They’re just a team that doesn’t let up.”
Munster coach Beth Raspopovich addressed her team for several minutes after the game.
“Inconsistency,” Raspopovich said. “Good teams are consistent. Not-so-good teams are inconsistent. We had a pretty good effort against Crown Point, nice win against Penn, then not so good (Monday).
“I’m going to have to attribute it to coaching. I have to do something better. I’m not exactly sure what it is yet, but I’ll figure it out.”