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the New Lenox Patriot | April 6, 2017 | 47
fastbreak
22nd Century Media File Photo
1st-and-3
Primetime players
1. Amanda Weyh
(ABOVE)
The Lincoln-Way
East transfer scattered
six hits and
five strikeouts over
seven innings to pick
up the completegame
victory over
Providence. She
and other transfer
Marina Esparza will
be a solid one-two
punch.
2. Danielle Callahan
The Lincoln-Way
West starting pitcher
did herself a favor
against the Griffins
by hitting a towering
solo home run to
provide the Warriors
with much-needed
run support.
3. Brittany Schulz
The Knights’ catcher
hit her second home
run in as many
games to provide
an insurance run for
Central in the 4-2
win.
Softball
Eight-run fifth inning boosts East’s win over West
Warriors aim to
rebuild after losing
five starters
James Sanchez
Contributing Editor
Alex Storako is new to the
Lincoln-Way East softball
team and SouthWest Suburban
Conference, but she’s all
too familiar with Lincoln-
Way West.
As a member of Bishop
McNamara last season, the
junior pitched a shutout with
13 strikeouts and added a
two-run home run to prevent
West from winning its
first sectional title in school
history. In that game, Storako
hit Warriors star player
Amanda Ruskowsky with a
pitch in the very first inning
that forced her to exit. Ruskowsky,
who now competes
on Saint Xavier University’s
softball team, was the Warriors’
ace and leading hitter.
West head coach Heather
Novak did not want to admit
it, but this seemingly was a
revenge game. The Warriors
knew the significance of this
early season matchup. They
looked energetic before the
game, despite the cold winds
and the temperature in the
40s.
However, West no longer
has the firepower that led its
journey to the sectional final.
It graduated five starters, and
Storako took advantage. The
Griffins’ ace struck out 11
through five innings and only
gave up one run, while also
going 3 for 4 at the dish to lead
an 11-1 win over the Warriors
on March 29 in Frankfort.
“Some of our hitters did
a much better job having atbats,
working the counts,”
Novak said, when comparing
the last time they faced
Storako. “But when you’re
facing a good pitcher like
that, you have to take advantage
of any mistakes.”
West (1-6) kept it close
through four innings, trailing
only 3-1, but an East (5-
0) onslaught of eight runs in
the following inning put the
mercy rule into effect and
ended the game early. Backto-back
two-RBI singles by
Lindsay LaDere and Alli
Jaquith, respectively, broke
open the game.
After a RBI single from
Sidney Bloomfield and double
from Storako, Ami Ill,
who finished a perfect 4 for
4, enforced the mercy rule
with an RBI single. Christine
Malito, who also went 4
for 4, and Lexi Krause drove
in a run apiece in the frame.
“I think we hit well one
through nine,” said East head
coach Elizabeth Pawlicki.
“We got hitters in every single
spot. It’s just finding the
correct spots for them in the
order to make us as strong as
we can. The girls work very
hard on their hitting.”
While East had success
with runners on base, it was
the opposite for West. The
Warriors had a runner on base
in every inning but failed to
drive any in, including the
first inning during which they
had the bases loaded and one
out. In contrast, the following
half inning, East paid off a
bases loaded situation with a
two-run double from Lauren
Hunter.
West’s lone run came from
a towering solo homer from
pitcher Danielle Callahan,
who finished 1 for 2 with a
walk. Other hits came from
Mac Mahy, Abby Baez and
Anna Perry.
“We’re young, we’re going
to continue to work hard,
we’re going to continue to
get better,” Novak said. “3-1
going into the fifth inning…
we need to be able to play all
seven innings.”
Storako’s ability to keep
West off balance contributed
to the Warriors’ hitting
woes. She said her curveball
was working and trusted
her defense to make the
plays behind her. The Griffins’
defense was error-free
on the day and included a
highlight-reel diving catch
in foul territory by LaDere
to end the fourth inning.
However, Storako gave
up six walks that put East
in tense situations when the
game was close in the early
going. But the DePaul commit
usually followed up the
free passes with strikeouts to
halt any momentum. Having
thrown hundreds of innings
in her young career, she
knows how to handle adversity
on the mound, she said.
“I just think in a pitcher’s
mind you can’t let things faze
you like that,” Storako said.
“I grew up like that. Don’t let
things faze you and take it one
pitch at a time.”
Pawlicki welcomed those
tense moments, adding that
those scenarios are only going
to benefit the team.
“Getting put in those
tough situations, that’s what
we need,” Pawlicki said.
“It’s going to make us stronger
and better. It’s good because
you get to see how the
girls react to it; how they’re
going to end up coming out
of it. I think it’s good to challenge
them like that.”
The addition of Storako,
who moved from Bourbonnais
to Frankfort for her junior
year, has been a nice surprise
for East, especially after
losing big-game pitchers Marina
Esparza and Amanda
Weyh to Lincoln-Way Central.
The pair helped lead the
Griffins to super-sectionals
last year. Leadoff hitter and
outfielder Gabby Gedville
also transferred to Central.
The team also lost Lauren
Herlihy, Nicole O’Donnell,
Brittany Pospishil and Olivia
Prieto - all of whom went on
to play softball collegiately.
However, the influx of talent
from Lincoln-Way North
and newcomers allowed the
Griffins to not skip a beat.
Hunter, who came from
North, took over Pospishil’s
place at first base, and Jacquith,
also from North, restores
depth in the infield
that Prieto left. New member
Bloomfield fills the void at
outfield and at the leadoff spot
with Gedville gone. Bloomfield
has attended East all four
years but chose to play travel
softball over high school until
this year. The Griffins have
so much depth that North’s
star pitchers from last season,
Sydney Limon and Julianna
Borgia, are on junior varsity.
The team has plenty of
new faces, yet, Pawlicki said
its cohesiveness has been the
biggest part to the undefeated
start.
“Together as a team we
are doing well, and that’s our
strong suit,” she said. Communicating
is a huge ingredient
coming into the season.”
As for West, it lost Jenna
Czart, Sarah Goff, Tiffany
Buis, April Lewandowski
and the aforementioned Ruskowsky
to graduation and
only gained Baez and freshman
third baseman Sydney
Swanberg from Manhattan.
It looks to be a rebuilding
year for the Warriors, as
returning everyday players
Mahy, Perry, Callahan and
Central’s Baez - the top four
in the batting order, respectively
- are only juniors.
The Warriors have mostly
held practices indoors due to
the weather. Novak said the
team will get better through
time when the weather starts
to warm up and learn to adjust
without Ruskowsky carrying
the load like she did
the past two seasons.
“You can’t replace an
Amanda [Ruskowsky],”
Novak said. “We’re going
to look for a few people to
replace what she did. It’s going
to take a team effort.”
LISTEN UP
“It’s easy to play behind them when they’re pitching
strong like that,”
Colleen Barrett – Lincoln-Way Central infielder, on playing defense behind
pitchers Amanda Weyh and Marina Esparza
TUNE IN
Baseball
4:30 p.m. Friday, April 7
• Lincoln-Way Central will host three-time
defending state champions Providence
Catholic in New Lenox.
INDEX
44 – This Week In
41 – Athlete of the Week
FASTBREAK is compiled by Editor James Sanchez,
james@newlenoxpatriot.com.