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the New Lenox Patriot | April 6, 2017 | 45
Softball
Knights pitchers thwart Celtics potent lineup in win
Frank Gogola
Freelance Reporter
Ashley Platek nearly
knocked the ball out of the
park through a stiff wind
before getting the wind
knocked out of her.
The Lincoln-Way Central
sophomore crushed a
ball off the right-center field
fence to drive in the game’s
first run but was smacked in
the face with an infielder’s
glove while sliding into second
base.
“She hit me in the face
with the tag, through the
facemask on my helmet,”
Platek said. “I didn’t even
know my nose was bleeding
at first [while lying on the infield].
Then I saw the blood
and was like, ‘Whoa!’”
Platek exited to stop a
bleeding nose but would
return to complete a perfect
day at the plate as Central
beat Providence Catholic,
4-2, on Tuesday, March
29, at Providence. Sophomore
pitcher Amanda Weyh
picked up her second win
for Central (2-0), which anticipates
its biggest strength
will be pitching – thanks to
talented transfers from Lincoln-Way
East. Providence
senior Jessica Miklos scored
both runs for the Celtics (1-
1), who expect to rely on
their offense.
“[Weyh] had good movement,
decent velocity and
was tough to come back on
when she got ahead in the
count,” Providence coach
Jay Biesterfeld said. “Not
the run production we would
have wanted but had a lot of
good at-bats.
“We held a really good
team to four runs. If we’re
holding teams to four runs, I
feel like we have an offense
to beat most teams we’re going
to play.”
Platek, an East transfer,
went 3-for-3 and drove in
Lincoln-Way Central pitcher Amanda Weyh gets into her windup during the middle innings
of her complete-game, shutout victory at Providence Catholic March 28.
Photos by Tim Carroll/22nd Century Media
Gabriella Gedville with her
lone extra-base hit in the
third inning. Gabriela Gross
pinch ran for Platek after
the double and scored two
batters later on senior Colleen
Barrett’s infield single.
Platek, who homered in the
season opener, scored the
Knights’ final run on senior
Marina Esparza’s fifth-inning
double.
Senior catcher Brittany
Schultz hit her second home
run in as many games when
she launched an oppositefield
solo shot in the fourth
inning, putting Central up
3-1.
“Although this is only our
second game, I think we’ve
shown that we do have the
offense and defense to go
along with the pitching,” Esparza
said.
Weyh scattered six hits
and five strikeouts over
seven innings to pick up the
complete-game victory. She
and ace pitcher Esparza, both
East transfers, had combined
to throw a one-hitter in the
team’s 11-0 season-opening
win against Oak Lawn.
Weyh, who also plays
shortstop and outfield, went
10-2 with a 1.48 ERA and
0.976 WHIP for East last
season. Esparza, a Lindenwood
University recruit,
and Platek, who will see occasional
time in the circle,
can play several positions in
the field when not pitching.
“You can interchange
them everywhere,” Central
coach Jeff Tarala said. “You
can move these girls around
and they never miss a beat.
They’re incredibly versatile.”
Barrett, a St. Ambrose recruit,
is thrilled with the influx
of pitching talent.
“It’s easy to play behind
them when they’re pitching
strong like that,” Barrett
said. “We relied more on
tough defense and offense
last year, so having them
come in, it really helps our
offense more because we’re
confident that they can shut
down other teams and we
don’t have to do everything.”
Miklos, a Lockport resident,
went 2-for-3 with a
double and a home run for
Providence. Her score on a
sacrifice fly by senior Allyssa
Demma, an Orland Park
resident, cut the Providence
deficit to 2-1 in the fourth.
She led off the sixth inning
with a solo shot to pull the
Celtics within 4-2.
“My first time up I waited
to see how many pitches
I could get,” Miklos said.
“The next two at-bats I took
the first good one.”
The Celtics left five runners
on base. Baserunning
mistakes, including being
thrown out in a rundown
while trying to turn a double
into a triple, cost them at
least one run.
“You’re going to lose
some games, and that’s OK
Knights infielder Colleen Barrett starts her swing during
her team’s 4-2 win.
Freshman Providence pitcher Laila Summers releases a
pitch against the Knights.
as long as we’re learning and
doing what we need to do to
compete and improve,” Biesterfeld
said.
The Celtics also posted 11
runs in their season-opening
win, an 11-6 comeback victory
over Minooka. The
young team – three seniors,
four juniors, three sophomores
and two freshmen
– expects its offense and
fielding to carry the team,
especially while the pitching
comes along.
Miklos, a Wisconsin-
Parkside recruit, hit .371
with four home runs last season.
Sophomore outfielder
Lex Leighton, a Frankfort
resident, batted .398 with
nine home runs and 32 RBIs.
Junior first baseman Emily
Pilon hit .374 with six homers
and 34 runs driven in.
Senior Kailey Zych and
freshman Laila Summers
are in their first full season
pitching. Zych played outfield
and pitched sparingly
last year. Summers (1-1)
took the loss against Central
after picking up the win in
relief against Minooka in her
high school debut.
Other area players for
Providence include junior
Courtney Mahalik (New
Lenox), junior Taylor Young
(Homer Glen) and freshman
Teagan Sopczak (Tinley
Park).