Alivia Lathen, daughter of legendary East Aurora basketball star, hits home run for Yorkville. How? ‘I just did.'
The sophomore second baseman was already 3-for-3 in a breakout performance Tuesday afternoon when she came to the plate in the top of the sixth inning at Kaneland.
'I was like thinking, 'Oh, I feel like I'm gonna hit a home run,'' Lathen said. 'And I just did.'
See it, believe it.
If it works, why not?
Lathen's line-drive, two-run homer was a legitimate frozen rope, gaining little altitude while rocketing over the left field fence to complete the scoring in Yorkville's 10-2 nonconference win.
'My hitting has been a little iffy, but I've been getting in some extra work this week to get back to consistency,' Lathen said. 'I've been in my head a lot, swinging at pitches that aren't my pitches.
'This game, I was swinging at my pitches and waiting for my strength.'
It started benignly enough for the Foxes (5-2) and Lathen, with a sacrifice bunt attempt in the second inning that was so well-placed it went for a single with no throw on the play.
Lathen then added a double and single, boosting a 13-hit attack on Kaneland (7-2) that included three from Iowa-bound junior catcher Kayla Kersting in support of winning pitcher Ellie Fox.
Fox, a junior right-hander, struck out eight in going the distance. She allowed six hits and a walk.
'I think we allowed her to get in a good rhythm and she was mixing (pitches) well and she kept us guessing a little bit more than what we should have,' Kaneland coach Mike Kuefler said of Fox. 'Ellie took advantage of the outside corner, and we just didn't make any adjustments for it.'
Freshman first baseman Addison Coulter had two doubles and sophomore outfielder Ansley Ruh added a two-run single for the Knights. Junior righty Brynn Woods struck out seven in four innings.
Kaneland was coming off a spring trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, winning four games and losing one in extra innings.
'We started out the season pretty strong and really haven't faced much adversity,' Kuefler said. 'Our girls are still learning and we learned (Tuesday).'
That's true as well for Lathen, a second-year varsity player.
'I was happy to make varsity freshman year and start because I was playing a lot,' she said. 'I realized, though, I had to keep working hard just to keep playing.
'I felt a little nervous at first with the older girls, but they were very welcoming.'
The daughter of Darius and Crystal Lathen, Alivia started playing softball when she was 9. She plays travel ball with the Crystal Lake-based Crush Tidal Waves Premier 16U.
Her father is legendary in Aurora basketball circles, having made the game-winning shot for East Aurora in overtime of the 1999 sectional final win over West Aurora. Captured in a Beacon-News photograph, it's one of the most talked about moments in the long history of the East-West rivalry.
Alivia's grandfather Craig 'Cubby' Lathen also starred in basketball at East Aurora, playing for the legendary coach Ernie Kivisto.
She played basketball and volleyball but gave them up in junior high and after freshman year, respectively, to focus on softball.
'I don't want to say she struggled, but the last couple games, we faced some challenging pitchers,' Yorkville coach Jory Regnier said of losses to Lincoln-Way East and Lincoln-Way Central. 'We just talked about her approach, approach, approach.
'She put in the extra reps and she's feeling good, had a great game. She's crazy athletic and is great on the bases. If the third baseman is playing back, she has the green light to bunt or drive the ball. She's a pretty dynamic player.'
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