Lydia Hammond’s one-hitter, Suttyn Hop’s homer propel Bradley-Bourbonnais past McNamara

BOURBONNAIS – Bradley-Bourbonnais junior pitcher Lydia Hammond has had quite a week. Last Friday, her ninth-inning walk-off double gave the Boilermakers a 1-0 win over Benet Academy in the Battle of the Brickyard, a game she threw a two-hit shutout in. Saturday, her perfect game against Fremd gave them the tournament championship.

And when the Boilermakers returned to the Brickyard to host Bishop McNamara in All-City action, Hammond’s stellar week continued with a one-hit shutout in Bradley-Bourbonnais’ 10-0 six-inning win.

She allowed a leadoff double to Fightin’ Irish shortstop, but after that, the only Irish batters to reach base came via two errors, a walk and a hit by pitch as Bradley-Bourbonnais (17-9-1) celebrated its fifth straight win over All-City rival McNamara (14-5).

One of those other baserunners also came in the first when Bridget Bertrand reached on an error. But after getting out of the first unscathed, she took the rubber for the second inning with an early 4-0 lead in her back pocket after the Boiler bats totaled seven first-inning hits, including six in a row.

"It definitely felt like a lot when I first stepped out there. My adrenaline is running, feeling pretty anxious and honestly, a little nervous because the atmosphere is indescribable," Hammond said. “After that first inning, I just thought to myself to take a deep breath, and we did it. We got those three outs when we needed them most, and from there it just carried on for the rest of the game."

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Bradley-Bourbonnais' Shannon Lee, right, does a celebratory handshake with Lydia Hammond during the Boilermakers' home game against Bishop McNamara Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Mason Schweizer)

Hammond, a Loyola commit, went from a pitching co-star with former Boiler and current Western Illinois freshman Libby Spaulding to a much larger spotlight this spring. And for head coach Haylee Beck, it’s nights like Thursday’s All-City adrenaline rush where she shines brightest.

"She’s at her best when she’s like that," Beck said of Hammond’s early nerves Thursday. “With Lydia, it’s a fine line between finding that gear that not many people on this field have, this extra notch that Lydia can bring it to. Finding that is fun to watch and fun to support.”

After the first inning, McNamara starter Victoria Torres settled in as well, leading to matching goose eggs on the scoreboard until the bottom of the fifth. Boilers senior catcher Suttyn Hop blasted a two-run home run to left to kickstart another four-run inning before Leila Middlebrook’s two-run double in the sixth ended the game via the run rule.

Hop’s homer didn’t just come in a primetime rivalry matchup, but against her former school. After spending her freshman year at McNamara, Hop transferred to Bradley-Bourbonnais ahead of her sophomore year, now in her third season as the Boilers’ backstop. And going deep against her old school was something that felt like it was straight from a dream.

“At first, I didn’t really believe it was real,” Hop said. “But I rounded third, and I was like, you know what, I deserve this. Senior year, I’ve got my teammates here, everyone I want to be surrounded by, and it was just the best feeling I’ve ever felt in my whole softball career.”

Hop and Olivia Woolman each had three hits. Hop was a triple shy of the cycle, finishing with four RBIs and three runs. Woolman doubled and scored twice. Hammond added eight strikeouts to her one-hit shutout.

Both teams still face Kankakee in All-City action this year. The Boilers’ date is pending a rescheduling after multiple rainouts while the Irish host the Kays Tuesday. McNamara’s loss Thursday snapped a 10-game winning streak that was capped by a 14-8 win over Chicago Christian that clinched their second straight Chicagoland Christian Conference title.

The Irish will look to make it repeat undefeated CCC runs and an All-City win over the Kays next week before their Class 2A postseason begins the following week. And as they near the postseason, Irish head coach Alee Rashenskas knows they’ll see more top-notch pitching like they did Thursday.

“I think we have the potential to hit great pitchers, we just have to have better mental approaches in the box,” Rashenskas said. “I think physically we’re capable, and when you push one across it gets easier. We were close [in the first inning], we just didn’t get there.”