A relieved Amber Gnutek had to admit that this was much more like the plan she had in mind for her senior season at South Elgin.
The first month has been a little stressful for the middle infielder who splits time between second base and shortstop.
“Amber has been so hard on herself,” Storm coach Brad Reynard said. “Her average probably isn’t where she’d like it. She has hit some hard-luck outs, but the last two weeks, she’s been hitting the ball really, really hard.
“That was huge for us today. We haven’t had a ton of home runs. To get her on track is key for us to make any advancement going forward. Good things are going to happen.”
Good things happened Monday for host South Elgin in a 10-0 Upstate Eight Conference victory over Larkin with Gnutek at the forefront.
The St. Ambrose recruit set the tone right away in the first, capping a three-run inning for the Storm (11-4, 5-0) with a two-run single.
In the third, Gnutek lifted her RBI total to four for the day by hitting a two-run homer to straightaway center that left no doubt. Her second of the season, it boosted the lead in support of winning pitcher and Loyola recruit Anna Kiel to 6-0 over the Royals (6-8, 3-4).
And for Gnutek, again, it was a relief.
“I pour everything into it,” said Gnutek, who has worked with Geneva-based hitting instructor Heather Harner since her sophomore year. “All my work throughout the fall and winter was not producing the way I planned.
“I had this whole vision for my senior year. It was going to be my last year and my best year. I was doing OK, but then we went to Tennessee on spring break and it all goes down. I’m trying to keep my head up, but it’s hard on you when you’re kind of scuffling a little bit.”
Kiel (5-3) didn’t scuffle Monday, finishing with a three-hit shutout while striking out 11 and walking one in a game that ended two batters into the bottom of the sixth. That’s when catcher Chloe Ricard hit a walk-off home run, also her second of the season, that hugged the left field line.
Kiel, who lowered her ERA to 0.70, had three hits to lift her batting average to a team-high .590. Gnutek’s season average rose to .286 with Monday’s big game, and she now has 11 RBIs.
There’s work to be done, but she has time. Gnutek, who plays travel with the Dennison Silver Hawks, batted a robust .453 last season.
“I feel like I was more of a consistent hitter last year with more base hits, which was still good and helped the team,” Gnutek said. “I’ve been trying to push through it.
“I’ve been working with my mental game, doing affirmations and watching my old videos.”
Reynard was happy for Monday’s power surge, which pushed his team’s home run total to six this spring.
“It felt like three to me,” Reynard said. “It’s just another weapon in our game. We’ve had teams in the past that maybe had a little more pop.
“We have a lot more slappers and we can play small ball with this team. We can beat you in a bunch of different ways.”
Gnutek, meanwhile, looks forward to finishing strong.
“I love the high school season because I love playing with my school friends and a lot of us have been playing together since we were 8 years old,” she said. “A lot of people say high school season isn’t as competitive, but I disagree. I feel like there’s a lot more at stake.
“Travel season has a new tournament every weekend. For high school, you’re working for three months up to that one big tournament.”
The fact it’s one and done just adds to that pressure.
