When junior first baseman Vanessa Kates hit her home run Monday, she not only stepped on home plate, she obliterated it for St. Laurence.
As the Kates rounded third base, she reminded herself of something.
Some mistakes you don’t make twice. Especially when a trip to state is on the line.
“At first, I was really hyped when I realized I tied the game,” Kates said with a smile. “But when I was going around third to head for home, I made sure to look down at it when I got there.”
The Seton Hall commit delivered a game to remember as St. Laurence beat Montini 6-2 in the Class 4A Illinois Benedictine Supersectional in Lisle.
Kates went 4-for-4 with two singles, a double and a home run for the Vikings (23-7). Demi Lotus added two hits, while Jordan Ogean tripled. Maddie Misch got the pitching win, striking out three.
For Kane, the emphatic leap and stomp on home plate evolved from a humorous event. Humorous because it had a happy ending for St. Laurence, which will play Providence (25-11) at 10 a.m. Friday in a state semifinal at Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria.
A week earlier, in a sectional semifinal game against Evergreen Park, Kates hit another one over the fence. The runner on base scored, but after the home run celebration, Kates was called out for missing the plate.
St. Laurence went on to win the game, while Kates learned a valuable lesson.
“I was kind of lost in the moment,” she said. “This time, I was really looking down. I was like, ‘You can’t miss this. You can’t miss this. It’s real important to all of us.’”
The home run against Montini came in the top of the second inning. It tied the score at 1-1. Her leadoff single in the top of the fourth started another rally that saw the Vikings score twice and take a 3-2 lead.
St. Laurence scratched out another run in the fifth before a sacrifice fly by Aoibhe Landers and an RBI single by Viviana Chavez added to the cushion.
“It feels amazing,” Kates said. “I feel today was really all about this team. Most of us are returning from last season and we wanted it.”
Kates is the Vikings’ top hitter with a .452 batting average. She has 10 doubles, six home runs and 24 RBIs.
Ogean, St. Laurence’s senior third baseman, loves Kates’ bat — and also her defense.
“Oh, yeah,” Ogean said. “I like her at first base because she gets everything I throw over there.
“Vanessa has always been such a powerful hitter. But this season she adjusted every single time and keeps getting better. And she keep everyone motivated.”
Kates hits in the cleanup spot for the Vikings. She’s done that most of her softball life — except for last season. St. Laurence coach Teagan Walsh surprised her by putting her at the top of the order.
“I like to play around with stats,” Walsh said. “Vanessa had the highest on-base percentage and that’s what prompted us to put her up there. As long as she could get an inning started by getting on base, good things were happening.”
Kates? She welcomed the challenge, hitting .475 for the season.
“It definitely brought a little nervousness and stress,” Kates said. “But the experience taught me that you don’t have to be just power. There are a lot of ways to move runners, and do your job.”
Now, though, Kates is back in her comfort zone. And looks the part.
“She is so loose,” Walsh said. “She finds her pitch and hunts that pitch and takes it out of the park. She finds a way. She’s a very impressive player.”
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
