FF_051619

frankfortstation.com sports
the frankfort station | May 16, 2019 | 45
Softball
2-1 equals 21 straight wins for Providence
Steve Millar, Sports Editor
Providence’s usual path to
success during a winning streak
that’s lasted more than a month
has involved slugging its way to
victory, and with the wind howling
out on May 9, the Celtics
may have expected more of the
same.
However, Lincoln-Way East
ace and Pitt recruit Danielle
Drogemuller presented a challenge
that forced Providence to
win in a different fashion.
The host Celtics did just that,
getting great pitching from Nicole
Mucha and Laila Summers
and stringing together just
enough hits for a 2-1 win over
the Griffins.
It was the 21st straight victory
for Providence, which extended
its school record streak and improved
to 25-3.
“This was a good one for us,”
Providence coach Jay Biesterfeld
said. “We haven’t had a
lot of low-scoring games. Our
pitchers did a good job of keeping
the ball low in the zone and
getting a lot of groundballs.
“We got some key hits and
were able to score a couple
runs.”
Mucha was terrific in outdueling
Drogemuller. She allowed
one run on four hits over five
innings, pitching around four
walks.
“I was just going in to throw
first-pitch strikes,” Mucha said.
“I knew they could hit, so I just
needed to hit my spots.
“I had to do this a lot in big
games last year, so I guess I’m
pretty good under the pressure.”
The Griffins (17-5) struck first
in the second inning when Chloe
Geijer walked, stole second and
scored on a clutch two-out single
from No. 9 hitter Ashley Esposito.
The Celtics immediately answered,
though, with some of
bottom-of-the-order punch of its
own.
In the bottom of the second,
Mucha walked and Maggie
Hurley (2-for-2) singled. Claudia
Utz and Brittany Rabe, the
seventh and eighth hitters in the
Celtics’ lineup, then followed
with back-to-back RBI singles to
put Providence up 2-1.
“We’re usually really good at
hitting, up and down our lineup,”
Utz said. “It’s great we can depend
on each other so if the bottom
of our lineup isn’t having a
great day we can usually rely on
the top and vice versa.”
Rabe’s hit proved to be the
game-winner.
“It felt good,” she said. “I was
just trying to hit it up the middle,
but I was a little late, but it was
a good hit.
“(The winning streak) is
amazing. I can’t wait to play the
next game because I just want to
win.”
Mucha and Summers took it
from there.
Summers struck out three over
the final two innings, allowing
just one hit.
“It was good to get Laila into
that pressure situation in the
sixth and seventh because she’s
used to starting,” Biesterfeld
said. “She really did a good job.”
Drogemuller did all she could
to keep the Griffins in it, striking
out seven and allowing five hits
in six innings.
Chloe Honchar reached base
three times for East with a single
and two walks.
A day before the win over
East, on May 8, the Celtics
clinched the outright GCAC Red
title with a 14-0 rout of Fenwick.
Shannon Smith had a home
run and three RBIs and Summers
threw a five-inning shutout.
The Griffins picked up a 3-0
win over Homewood-Flossmoor
on May 7. Payton Wuske was the
winner in the circle with seven
strikeouts while Danielle Stewart
went 2-for-3. Then on May 8,
East hosted Sandburg and won
by a score of 10-3. Drogemuller
(2-for-3) and Esposito (2-for-3, 3
RBI) paced the offense for East.
Nicole Mucha delivers a pitch
against Lincoln-Way East on
May 9. Mucha was the winning
pitcher in Providence’s 2-1
victory. STEVE MILLAR/22ND
CENTURY MEDIA
Stewart, who homered May
6 in a 6-2 loss to Lockport, said
it’s key for the Griffins not to get
down on themselves.
“We just need to stay positive,
play our hardest and trust ourselves,”
Stewart said. “We have
the players to win.”
Badminton
Lincoln-Way players bow out on day one of state tournament
LW East’s Carlson,
KIrschsieper conclude
careers with state trip
STEVE MILLAR, Sports Editor
Lincoln-Way West’s top
doubles team of junior Allison
Hullinger and senior Shauna
O’Malley won a sectional title
and earned a 13-16 seed for state
tournament.
The pair had their sights set on
making it to the second day at
state, but fell just short of the top
16, going 2-2 at Eastern Illinois
University in Charleston.
“I thought they gave it their
all,” Thompson said, “We knew
it was going to be hard against
Bradley. We beat them three
times this season and they were
all close matches, so it was difficult
to face them again.”
Hullinger and O’Malley
opened the tournament Friday,
May 10 with a tight 29-27, 23-21
loss to Bradley’s Myra Zaheer
and Josie Majka.
The Warriors’ duo then
bounced back to beat Schaumburg’s
Vickie Wang and Lora
Kusaku 21-11, 21-19 and Sandburg’s
Kate Hudson and Britany
Higgins 21-18, 21-10.
In the consolation third round,
Friday’s final round, Hullinger
and O’Malley fell 21-15, 11-21,
21-16 to Hinsdale Central’s Lily
McCain and Angela Berti.
“That second game against
Hinsdale Central was the best
they’ve played all tournament,”
Thompson said. “I thought they
were back. I think Shaunna had a
little muscle pull in her back and
that hurt them in the third game.”
West’s No. 2 doubles team of
Kayla Wojcik and Emilia Evans
dropped its two matches, 15-21,
21-17, 21-17 to Downers Grove
North’s Katie Hilt and Claire
Drobny, and 21-15, 21-14 to
Buffalo Grove’s Lindsey Lehrfield
and Grace Martin.
“I told them that when we look
back over the season, they’re
going to realize how awesome
it was,” Thompson said. “I
couldn’t ask for greater people
to be around.”
The tournament was the final
one of a 25-year coaching career
for Thompson, who’s retiring.
“It was really awesome to be
honored at state,” Thompson
said. “Now, I’m a little sad.”
Lincoln-Way Central senior
Gillian Underhill made her second
state appearance and got her
first win at state, going 1-2.
She beat Joliet Central’s
Daisy Catalan 21-16, 21-18 in
the consolation first round, but
dropped matches to players
from Hinsdale South and Prospect.
“Her getting that win was
great,” Central coach Ryan Pohlmann
said. “It was something
that she had as a goal at the beginning
of the season.”
Underhill went through some
struggles this season, finishing
last at the SouthWest Suburban
Red meet, but rebounded to win
a sectional title and get a victory
at state.
“Going into sectionals, she just
said it was her senior year and she
was going to lay it all on the line,
play with a little reckless abandon,”
Pohlmann said. “She’s confident
and she kind of relied on that.”
Lincoln-Way East seniors
Paige Carlson and Casey Kirschsieper
were both able to finish
their careers at state, though both
went 0-2.
Carlson fell 21-9, 21-13 to
Willowbrook’s Hanna Konrath
and 21-17, 21-15 to Hersey’s Susan
Ferris.
Kirschsieper lost 21-8, 21-14
to T.F. South’s Ivy Flores and
21-16, 21-9 to Buffalo Grove’s
Claire McLoone.