Beecher pitcher Allie Johnson picked up a couple of milestones in her breakout sophomore season Wednesday.

As one half of a marquee pitching matchup along with Peotone’s Sophie Klawitter, Johnson threw the first seven-inning complete game of her varsity softball career and set a new career high with 12 strikeouts to lead the host Bobcats (23-0) to a 5-0 win over the Blue Devils (8-13).

She said it was as good as she’s felt in the circle all season.

“I was feeling more confident than I have been,” she said. “I had a really good warmup and was focusing on my spins mainly and not just speed, because with speed you just have it flat and it’s right there for the hitters. I was really just trying to hit my spots and felt way more comfortable out there.”

Johnson has yet to allow an earned run in 25⅓ innings this season, posting 43 strikeouts with an opponent’s batting average of just .095. A fifth-inning single from Peyton Schnelle was the only damage she allowed Wednesday.

Klawitter was also sharp despite facing a Bobcats lineup that averages over 11 runs per game.

She allowed seven hits and had nine strikeouts in six innings, and despite allowing five earned runs, has an ERA of just 1.47 on the season. She also has 265 strikeouts in 137⅔ innings.

Beecher head coach Kevin Hayhurst said that facing pitchers like Klawitter is helpful with the postseason approaching in less than two weeks.

The Bobcats have tough matchups with Ottawa and Providence Catholic among their remaining games before entering a loaded sub-sectional where they will play either Peotone or reigning regional champs Herscher (11-14) in the regional semis.

“We were able to beat a really nice pitcher today,” he said. “It certainly gets you ready for the tournament when every pitch means something. It’s nice right now to be playing teams like this at the end of our season.”

Klawitter allowed three runs in the third, but settled back in and was on track to hold the Bobcats to their second-lowest run total of the season.

But with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Beecher senior Liliana Irwin hit a two-run home run to give the Bobcats a little more breathing room.

“I just felt really good to get that hit, because I usually struggle against [Klawitter] when we play,” she said.

Irwin and her sophomore sister Carmela, who was 2 for 2 with an RBI and a run Wednesday, are running out of time together as high school teammates, as are Allie Johnson and her senior sister Makenzie, who was 1 for 3 with a triple, an RBI and a run.

Liliana said she’s looking forward to enjoying one more postseason run with her sister after winning state together last year.

“I’m really glad that were are on the same team,” she said. “I feel like it’s helped us get a lot closer. Having two sets of siblings, we’re closer as a team because it kind of unites the grades. I just want to go far into the postseason so we can all play together a little longer.”

Elena Kvasnicka also had an RBI for the Bobcats while MaKenna Albert and Grace Wuest each scored a run.

Peotone also has plenty of sisterly love on the field this season, with Sophie and Mary Klawitter, Peyton and Paisley Schnelle and Ava and Adyson Kosmos all in the starting lineup.

Head coach Kim Pagliarulo said these family connections have helped the team put together a healthy culture.

“The three sets of sisters don’t really stand out at all because they all act that way,” she said. “They’ve known each other for so long, they have a really tight bond and they’re a great group of girls.”

The Blue Devils have played their toughest three-game stretch of the season this week, with Wednesday’s game coming right after a pair of close losses to Wilmington.

Based on what she’s seen in these games, Pagliarulo said she’s looking forward to a strong finish.

“We have yet to connect all the dots, but I really do envision some great things about to happen for this team,” she said. “In everything we need to work on we’ve seen improvement. That makes me really excited for playoffs, because when better to put it all together?”