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Homewood-Flossmoor junior Toni Purchas didn’t start off her softball career looking to be a catcher. That decision was inspired by the presence of her younger sister, Taylor.
The 5-foot-3, 115-pound Toni is now starring in position usually reserved for more rugged players thanks in part to Taylor, who by the way isn’t even in high school yet.
“It’s a little weird, but when I was 12, my sister wanted to be a pitcher,” Toni said. “When it came to having someone catch for her all the time, I ended up catching for her.
“I wasn’t a catcher at the time. But her pitching coach said, ‘You know, you make a pretty good catcher.’ Ever since she said that, it was in my head and I tried catching.”
Toni has caught on so well that she has verbally committed to Alabama A&M.
Purchas came through Tuesday at the plate, going 2-for-2 and scoring three runs for the Vikings in a 5-4 victory over Sandburg in a SouthWest Suburban Blue opener in Orland Park.
Along with a walk and a sacrifice bunt, Purchas scored the winning run in the eighth inning for H-F (6-4, 1-0) on Asia Bing’s infield single. Purchas had been struggling offensively.
Morgan Tate added two hits with a homer and two RBIs. Skylar Skinner had two hits for H-F. Zoe Jeanes went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs for Sandburg (3-10, 0-1).
H-F coach Corinne Zimmerman experimented by moving Purchas to the ninth spot in the batting order. Some would consider that a demotion, but Zimmerman thought it could help.
“We wanted to take all of the pressure off her,” Zimmerman said of Purchas. “She adds speed to the bottom of our lineup, and it couldn’t have worked out better for us.
“It was her time to shine. Honestly, we’re probably going to stick with it.”
Bing was the winning pitcher, allowing four runs in the first four innings but blanking the Eagles in the next four. She finished with three strikeouts and did not allow a walk.
The senior right-hander said she tried not to let it get to her when Jeanes hit a two-run homer in the first inning.
“I tried to stay super calm with it,” Bing said. “At the end of the day, I’m just trying to do my job to the best of my ability. After a home run, it’s not a shock, but it’s something you want to get over it and get to the next batter.”
“I know when she’s down, she’s going to get right back up,” Purchas said of Bing. “We’ve been working together for years. We know each other pretty well.”
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Sandburg’s season, meanwhile, has been a mixed bag.
The Eagles have just three victories, but they were dominant in beating Lyons 11-1, Plainfield Central 17-5 and Stagg 11-1. Four of their losses were by one or two runs.
Freshmen twin sisters Zoe and Olivia Trunk started at shortstop and third base, respectively. Zoe ended the sixth with an unassisted double play and the seventh assisting on another.
“Zoe started playing a little second base for us,” Sandburg coach Lauren Meister said. “We saw her glove work and moved her to short. I’m going to put her in places where she will continuously succeed.”
Speaking of success, Purchas is not going to let her size get in the way of being a top-notch catcher.
“I love the position,” she said. “I can’t remember getting onto any big collisions at the plate. It’s probably happened, but nothing serious.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
