Argo senior Olivia Perez had two things to celebrate on May 2: her birthday and her team’s 3-1 road win over Richards.
Perez pitched a four-hitter as the Argonauts snapped the Bulldogs’ nine-game winning streak.
“I’ve been pitching some good games,” Perez said. “My defense has been helping me out, though. I hope to continue that.”
Perez also had an RBI single in fifth inning, driving in Jocelynn Pacheco.
Pacheco went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and a run scored. Emilia Green added RBI single in the fifth inning for Argo (16-4, 10-3 South Suburban Red).
Pacheco, Perez and Emilia Green have been on the varsity team since they were freshmen, which was the first year for head coach Russ Nowak.
“We’ve got a good group of senior leaders,” Nowak said.
“It’s nice seeing that after the past three years, we have put it all together and finally did it for our senior season,” Perez said.
Perez has been integral to Argo’s success on and off the diamond.
“She’s a great team leader,” Nowak said. “She does a great job at getting teammates involved. She’s always leading cheers.”
“This year is a team,” Perez said. “We are having a lot of fun, win or lose. We are enjoying our time and bringing that onto the field which is having us play stronger.”
One of Perez’s biggest fans is her dad Oscar.
“Ever since I picked up a bat, he’s been supporting me through and through,” Perez said.
That will continue when Perez moves on to play at Wisconsin-Whitewater.
“That was a dream of me and my dad’s forever,” Perez said. “It’s awesome to say I get to play at the next level.”
Perez felt the close-knit atmosphere of the Warhawks reminded her of the Argonauts.
“I love their family-like culture they have going on there and coming from this family, I wanted to go there,” she said.
This bond has brought Perez and her teammates to new heights and she is grateful for what’s been taking place this season.
“We truly love each other, this is a team this year,” Perez said. “I am super proud of how much better we have gotten.”
Hajer delivers for Richards
Before the loss to Argo, Richards (13-8, 9-3 SSC Red) had climbed back into the conference race with its nine-game winning streak.
“They are feeling confident,” Richards coach Julie Folliard said of her players. “We are having a great season.”
The Bulldogs averaged 8.3 runs during their streak and scored more than 10 runs three times.
Against the Argonauts, Natalie Hajer tripled and scored Richards’ lone run.
“That at bat, I was thinking about what pitches I saw already and how I could change results,” Hajer said. “We’ve been working on location and recognizing pitches so we can hit them better and hopefully get on base.”
“Natalie started to show a lot of confidence last year as a junior,” Folliard said. “She works really hard at it. She’s a tough nut to crack. She’s very fast, has a great arm,and has a great eye.”
After putting the bat to the ball, it was off to the races for Hajer.
“I love running the bases.” Hajer said. “We work on them a lot at practice. I am usually the only one that likes to practice running the bases.”
Richards ace Emily Chavosky pitched a seven-hitter against Argo with one walk and 12 strikeouts.
“She’s on fire and she’s a very good pitcher,” Folliard said. “She’s been pitching lights out and our defense is right behind her.”