Beecher’s Taylor Norkus cemented her spot as one of the very best pitchers in the state a season ago, and so far in 2026 she’s picked up right where she left off.

But when the senior changeup specialist isn’t in the circle, the Bobcats haven’t missed her all that much.

After Norkus set the tone in game one of a River Valley Conference doubleheader against Grant Park (13-3, 7-2), throwing a six-inning two-hitter in a 10-0 win, it was sophomores Allie Johnson and Carmela Irwin combining to retire all 15 batters in a row in a 14-0 win in game two.

Johnson retired 12 batters in a row to start the game, eight on strikeouts, before Irwin came in and struck out the side in the fifth for the Bobcats (19-0, 10-0), who passed their biggest RVC test of the season with flying colors.

“My rise ball was really working today and I was locked in for this game because I knew [the Dragons] were strong hitters,” Johnson said. “I just feel like, since Taylor’s been pitching so much, we’ve had hard days of practice where [Irwin and I] throw 100 pitches and work on our spins a lot.”

That preparation has paid off for this sophomore duo that, after not throwing any varsity innings last year, has not allowed an earned run so far this season.

Johnson has 30 strikeouts and had allowed just one unearned run in 18⅓ innings while Irwin has struck out 25 batters in 13 innings and has yet to allow a run of any kind.

Norkus set career bests with a 0.98 ERA and 196 strikeouts in a career-high 121 innings last season, and with her six shutout innings and eight strikeouts on Tuesday, has lowered her 2026 ERA to 0.67.

She’s also upped her strikeout rate, racking up 126 Ks in 73⅔ innings.

Norkus said the emergence of her fellow pitchers is not surprising considering the work she’s seen them put in throughout their young varsity careers.

“They’ve always worked hard in the dugout and when backs are turned,” she said. “For them to step up like this and fill these shows is really, really promising for their future and the potential for the next few years.”

Beecher head coach Kevin Hayhurst’s program has ridden strong pitching staffs to five state titles in his tenure, including a Class 2A title last season.

With an ace like Norkus, who he said is pitching with the highest confidence level he’s seen in her four years, and a pair of young arms he said are able to achieve the level of ball movement typically shown by more experienced pitchers, Hayhurst said there is a solid foundation in place for this season and beyond.

“You just don’t want to rely on one pitcher throughout the season,” he said. “It’s nice to have a pitching staff, and that’s what we’ve got here at Beecher.

“...Our program is built on pitching, and [Johnson and Irwin] will keep us going after Taylor graduates.”

While the pitching stole the show Tuesday, the bats were not far behind.

Elena Kvasnicka was 5 for 7 with four RBIs and three runs across the two games. Grace Wuest was 4 for 8 with two RBIs and three runs and Emma Henderson drove in two runs in each game. Maddy Grooms only played game two, going 3 for 4 with a double, three RBIs and two runs.

Grant Park’s Lola Malkowski and Claire Sluis each had a single in game one while Reegan Thompson walked.

The Dragons were only down 2-0 through three innings of the opener, but four errors in the bottom of the fourth allowed Beecher to tack on five runs. The Bobcats didn’t look back after that.

Head coach Robert Crivokapich said it was disappointing to see game one end the way it did, but facing teams like Beecher can be beneficial as the Dragons look to finish strong in their final seven regular season games and search for a second regional title in three years.

“I thought we came out strong in the first couple innings, and we played clean,” he said. “When it got ugly, it got ugly fast. We can’t play that way, especially against a good team.

“...But I feel really good about [the team]. They need games like this. They need to see teams like this.”