Beecher outlasts Wilmington to claim third straight regional crown

BEECHER − Beecher and Wilmington put a total of 21 runners on base in the Class 2A Beecher Regional championship Friday, but runs were hard to come by for the pair of typically high-powered offenses.

The host Bobcats stranded nine runners in the game, but thanks to a typically strong outing from pitcher Ava Lorenzatti and some timely hitting and defense from shortstop Ava Olson, did enough to pick up a 3-1 win and claim their third regional title in a row.

Olson drove in all three runs for the Bobcats and defensively helped shut down a Wilmington rally in the top of the seventh inning. Sami Liaromatis led off with a double, bringing the top of the order up to potentially set the table for the dangerous Molly Southall, who was due up fourth in the inning.

Leadoff hitter Keeley Walsh drilled a liner towards left-center, but Olson reached out to snag the drive and threw the ball to second to double off Liaromatis. Lorenzatti induced a groundout off the bat of Taylor Stefancic to strand Southall on deck and give the Bobcats the regional crown.

“The win felt great,” Olson said. “We have been put into other tight, pressure situations earlier this season, so that definitely helped us prepare for this moment.”

Olson had just one hit, but came up with a runner on third in the first and again in the third, both times after Lorenzatti led off the inning with a hit and was replaced by courtesy runner Carmela Irwin. Olson drove in Irwin with a sacrifice fly in the first and a groundout in the third.

She came up again in the fifth with Elena Kvasnicka on second and laid down a bunt. Kvasnicka started running on contact, and with Wilmington catcher Madisyn Rossow having to field the ball and throw to first, Kvasnicka kept on running. She slid in safely before Rossow could get back to home and field the return throw from first. Olson reached safely for a bunt single.

“It’s situational hitting,” Beecher coach Kevin Hayhurst said. “She’s really good and understands it. She knows how to run the bases and took extra bases when she could. A coach really appreciates a girl like that that does so many things to help her team win.”

Lorenzatti allowed just three hits but also walked five batters. She was able to keep most of those runners on base thanks to 12 strikeouts, and allowed the only run of the game in the third on a bloop single from Nina Egizio. She also went 3 for 4 with two doubles.

“She’s not just a really great pitcher,” Hayhurst said. “She’s of course really good offensively and she loves to hit. She’s done really well this year. All my kids have worked pretty darn throughout the year to keep getting themselves better, which they need to keep doing.”

Wilmington starter Taryn Gilbert was able to make big pitches throughout the game to limit Beecher’s damage, particularly to escape a bases-loaded jam with one out in the fourth by getting Lorenzatti and Makenzie Johnson to fly out in consecutive at-bats.

Gilbert did not have a strikeout, but the Wildcat defense did not make an error behind her as they became the seventh team in 34 games to hold Beecher to three or fewer runs.

The Wildcats finished the season at 23-7, their most wins since 2019. They did so with just 10 players on the roster and without a senior.

“Miraculously we stayed healthy for most of the season,” coach Jack Skole said. “When you’ve got 10 kids on the team it’s difficult to do some things. But I know these girls are going to put the effort in, they’re going to want to come back and they’re going to be wanting to hold that plaque.”

Beecher will move on to the semifinals of the IHSA Class 2A Seneca Sectional Tuesday before a potential rematch with Seneca in the sectional championship. The Bobcats beat Seneca 5-4 for the sectional crown last season before falling to Rockridge in Super-Sectionals.

“Our energy right now is unbeatable, it’s unmatched,” Lorenzatti said. “As long as we keep that up, it’s looking good.”