With Wheeler's sports complex resembling a wind tunnel, the hosts came out ahead under wild conditions for a 2-0 softball victory over Bishop Noll on Thursday.
Lanay Parks improved to 11-0 with the shutout in a showdown of Greater South Shore Conference rivals.
The wind was blowing out, although it swirled to an extent that it sometimes was hard to tell the direction. Several times, the umpires stopped play to allow the dust to clear.
"Both pitchers did a great job today, with dust in their eyes constantly," said Wheeler coach Marc Bruner. "The wind's blowing dead out to left field, and both pitchers responded wonderfully, I thought."
"It was rough on both teams," Bishop Noll coach Ralph Laramie said.
Vanessa Hartzell (10-5) took the loss for the Warriors. She allowed two baserunners through the first four innings.
Wheeler's Caitlin Herzog singled with one out in the fifth. Meghan Zappia walked, and the runners advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. Whitney Maas grounded out to second, scoring Herzog, and leadoff hitter Kylie Planck singled to center, driving in Zappia.
Designated hitter Emily Bisch, who was 2-for-3, doubled in the sixth for Wheeler (16-1, 10-0 GSSC), recording the only extra-base hit of the game for the Bearcats, but Hartzell worked out of the one-out, second-and-third jam.
Bishop Noll's Ashley Halter singled to lead off the top of the seventh, but Parks responded by striking out the side to end the threat.
"If you don't get on Lanay early, she's going to get you," Laramie said. "And we didn't get on her. We had opportunities."
Bishop Noll (12-7, 8-2 GSSC) had a runner on base in all but one inning. Parks scattered five hits. Shannon O'Connor doubled to lead off the second, but Parks struck out the side after that as well. She had 10 Ks against two walks.
Hartzell struck out eight and walked one.
Bruner said the run-scoring grounder by Maas was an outstanding at-bat, and praised Planck's performance all year. Planck, who went 1-for-3, struck out for only the second time on the season, Bruner said.
"Right now, she's all-state in my mind," Bruner said. "She's been awesome."
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