Herald-News Softball Notebook: Lockport bags first WJOL Tournament title, Morris and Lemont off to hot starts

Lockport picked up its first WJOL Tournament title, cruising to a 15-0 win over Minooka in the championship game.

It was a surprisingly easy win for the Porters, who had to come from behind in the semifinals to beat a scrappy Joliet Catholic Academy team 3-2.

Alaina Peetz was in the middle of it all for the Porters, as the sophomore pitcher came on in relief to shut the door in the win over JCA, then allowing only two hits in the title game to earn Most Valuable Player honors.

“It’s really nice to go out to the mound with a lead,” Peetz said. “We have a lot of good hitters, so I know my team is going to get me some runs.”

Besides Peetz, the Porters placed Morgan Spordarek, Addison Foster and Kelcie McGraw on the all-tournament team. Spordarek and Foster each were 4 for 4 in the title game, with Spordarek notching six RBIs and Foster scoring four runs.

Also earning all-tournament honors were Taylor Mackin, Rylee Boyd and Anna McClimon of Minooka, Reese Rourke and Ava Murphy of Lincoln-Way West, Madison Patrick of JCA, Lisabella Dimitrijevic of Lincoln-Way Central, Abby Johnson of Providence Catholic, Khloe Picard of Coal City and Madison Jadron of Joliet West.

The win was a big one for Lockport.

“This is a fun tournament with great competition,” Lockport coach Marissa Chovanec said. “It’s great just to be a part of it. [Joliet West athletic director] Steve Millsaps and Scott Slocum of WJOL do a great job of putting this tournament together, and we enjoy the opportunity to play in a tournament like this.”

Lemont on a roll

Lemont has started its season right where it left off last year, when they won the Class 3A state championship.

All of the starters, headed by the all-state battery of South Carolina-bound pitcher Sage Mardjetko and Drake-bound catcher Frankie Rita, return from last year’s team, and they show no signs of a letdown. Lemont has bolted out to a 4-0 start, including wins over Class 4A powers Huntley and Marist. Also, there is another Mardjetko in the wings, as Rhea Mardjetko has seen some time in the circle.

No easy games

As always, the Joliet area has proven to be a gauntlet when it comes to softball. The teams are all competitive, and there are no sure things.

Perhaps no team has exhibited that quality more than Minooka the past couple of weeks. Last week in the WJOL Tournament, the Indians opened with a 4-3 win over Joliet West, then beat defending tourney champ Lincoln-Way West 10-4 in the semifinals before dropping the title game 15-0 to Lockport.

This week, Minooka began with a 4-3 win over powerful Lincoln-Way East on Monday, only to drop a 3-1 decision to JCA on Tuesday. That loss dropped the Indians’ record to 4-4 on the year.

After winning the WJOL Tournament and improving its record to 7-0, Lockport lost its next game 4-1 to Andrew.

Who’s hot?

Despite Tuesday’s loss to Andrew, Lockport owns a 7-1 record and has a balanced lineup, and the combination of Alaina Peetz and Kelcie McGraw in the circle give the Porters more than a fighting chance in every game they play.

The previously mentioned Lemont team is going to be tough to beat, but they have loaded their schedule with strong nonconference opponents.

Morris left on its annual trip to Arkansas with a 3-0 record. They lost their first two games in Arkansas, but rebounded to win three straight wins and will return to Illinois with a 6-2 mark.

Despite the loss to Minooka, Lincoln-Way East is off to a 4-1 start. With pitcher Maddie Hickey in the circle and Texas recruit Katie Stewart in the middle of the lineup, the Griffins will be a tough test for anyone.