FF_061319

frankfortstation.com sports
the frankfort station | June 13, 2019 | 35
Softball
LW East excited about future after sectional loss
RANDY WHALEN, Freelance
Reporter
STEVE MILLAR, Sports Editor
With only five seniors
on its roster, Lincoln-Way
East’s softball team still
put together a strong season,
going 22-7, winning
its 13th regional title, and
reaching at least 21 wins
for the 16th time in 18 seasons
of existence.
The Griffins failed to
reach the sectional finals
for the first time since 2013
when they fell to Lockport
in the Thornwood Sectional
semifinals on May 30.
The future, however, appears
bright.
Some of East’s reasons
for excitement were on
display even in the seasonending
defeat.
Take Madison Pomykalski.
The freshman pinch
hit for the Griffins in the
top of the fifth against
Lockport and pounded a
two-run home run to center
field that hit the flag
pole and bounced back on
the field.
That bookended a nice
freshman season that saw
Pomykalski hit two home
runs, in her first and final
at-bats of the season. In
her first at-bat, on March
29, she hit a game-ending
two-run home run in the
bottom of the fifth in a
12-1 win over Normal
Community.
“No, I didn’t know it
was gone,” said Pomykalski,
of her sectional homer.
“When I rounded second
I saw the ball on the field
and thought it was in play.”
Pomykalski knows
about talent and winning.
As an outfielder, she won
three straight state championships
as a member of
the Hickory Creek Middle
School softball team.
“We’re always talking,
we’re always loud,” Pomykalski
said, describing
the atmosphere around the
East team. “We always try
to stay up, our confidence
is really high. “It’s going
to be nice, it’s going to
be a good one in the next
couple of years. We have
a bunch of girls that are
coming in that are young
and it’s going to be good.”
Junior and Pitt recruit
Danielle Drogemuller had
a strong first season in the
ace’s role after previously
pitching sparingly as Alex
Storako - now at Michigan
- carried the heavy load.
Drogemuller went 16-7
with a 2.01 ERA and struck
out 161 batters in 125.1 innings
pitched. She also hit
.333 with five home runs.
Drogemuller figures to
give the Griffins a chance
to win just about every
time out in 2020.
Her battery-mate, catcher
Chloe Honchar, is also
expected to return after
hitting .375 with three
home runs and 28 RBI as
a junior this season.
Junior Paige Geraghty
sparked the Griffins all
season from the leadoff
spot, hitting .457 with 18
stolen bases and 35 runs.
Freshmen Ashley Esposito,
Chloe Geijer and
Danielle Stewart were also
among the seven underclassmen
who started the
final game of the season
against Lockport, which
also included sophomore
Taylor Hochman and junior
Kara Frencl.
“I’m excited about next
year,” Geraghty said. “We
can have a great season.
We just need to have confidence
in ourselves and not
let little things determine
the game. Just because
someone hits a home run
against us or something
like that, the game’s not
over. We have to keep going
and produce runs.”
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Catcher Chloe Honchar is one of several Lincoln-Way East softball starters expected
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