Class 4A softball: Lincoln-Way Central falls just short in 2-0 loss to Marist

ROSEMONT – Softball often has been called a game of inches.

That certainly was the case for Lincoln-Way Central on Monday in a 2-0 loss to Marist in the Class 4A Leyden Supersectional at The Ballpark at Rosemont.

In the first inning, Marist’s Bree Hanik scored on a single by Cam Lyons, beating the throw from Lincoln-Way Central right fielder Teagan Berkshire by inches at best.

That hit by Lyons was the last one allowed by Central starter Bella Dimitrijevic until the top of the sixth. With one out, Hanik singled and went to second on a single by Gabi Novickas on the next pitch. Dimitrijevic struck out the next hitter before Marist’s Soleil Tate singled through the middle to bring home Hanik with the second RedHawks run.

Lincoln-Way Central had been in a similar position in the sectional championship game against Lockport, allowing a run in the first inning, but the Knights rallied to tie it in the fourth and win it in the seventh.

Unfortunately for the Knights, who end their season with a 33-5 record, Marist pitcher Gianna Hillegonds and her teammates had other ideas.

Hillegonds allowed only three hits – a single by Josie Jager in the first and singles by Kendall Pearson and Jaimee Bolduc in the fifth – and two walks while striking out nine.

In the bottom of the fifth, Pearson led off with a perfectly placed bunt single and was sacrificed to second by Mia Guide.

Bolduc followed by hitting an 0-2 pitch into the hole between short and third and beat the throw, with Pearson holding at second.

A fly to right by Isabella Olmos allowed Pearson to reach third before pinch runner Ava Quinlan stole second. Hillegonds ended the threat with a strikeout, however.

In the bottom of the sixth, Jager walked with two outs, bringing up cleanup hitter Dimitrijevic. In her first at-bat, Dimitrejevic launched a Hillegonds pitch deep to left that had home run distance but was foul. This time, she smoked a line drive toward left, but it ended up in shortstop Caroline O’Brien’s glove to end the inning.

“I hit that ball really hard,” Dimitrejevic said. “If I got under it just a little bit, it might have gone out. I felt good pitching. The longer we went without scoring, we got a little tighter in the dugout.

“This puts a big chip on our shoulder for next year. We definitely want to go further next year.”

Central coach Jeff Tarala was disappointed with the game’s outcome, but not with the season.

“It wasn’t meant to be,” he said. “We played well, but they got on us early. Bella was outstanding as always. To hold a team like Marist to two runs and six hits, that shows who she is and why she is going to Florida State.

“We didn’t do enough with our bats. That has been going on for a couple of weeks, and it finally came back to bite us today.

“I feel bad for all the seniors [Guide, Lucy Cameron, Autumn Adamik, Pearson, Alexis Youngren, Jager, Olmos and Caitlin Hernandez]. I have had some of them – Youngren and Cameron – for four years and Jager for three, and I have had almost all of them in class. They will definitely be missed. We had a mindset for Peoria. I know that only eight teams get as far as we did, but we really wanted to take that next step. Hopefully we can come back and make that step next year.”