Beecher and Seneca have been two of the best softball programs in the state in recent years, and these perennial powerhouses will be meeting Friday with a sectional title on the line for the third season in a row.

In order set up this pivotal matchup, Beecher had to win its IHSA Class 2A Pontiac Sectional semifinal against a Pontiac team that boasts some experience from a 3A supersectional run last season.

After entering the fifth inning tied, the Bobcats (32-0) pushed across a pair of runs in the top of the fifth and another in the seventh to pick up a 4-1 win, the 41st in a row for the reigning 2A state champs who will look for their fourth straight sectional title on Friday.

Taylor Norkus picked up the win for the Bobcats. She also threw a one-hit shutout in last season’s 1-0 sectional title win over Seneca that followed a 5-4 Bobcat win the year prior.

She said she’s ready for another close one.

“Honestly, we’re just keeping it calm and collected and going in there with a clean mind, very concentrated,” she said. “I’m expecting the same thing as the last two years, just us trying to keep it calm and to win.”

In the early innings Wednesday, Pontiac looked determined to make sure a rematch between Beecher and Seneca would not happen this season.

After Makenzie Johnson reached on an error to lead off the top of the first and scored on a wild pitch with one out to give Beecher a 1-0 lead, Courtney Krause retired 11 of the next 13 batters to keep it a 1-0 game entering the bottom of the fourth.

After Norkus retired the first 10 batters in a row, the Indians broke through in the fourth to tie it 1-1 on an RBI single from India Mattingly.

In the top of the fifth, Beecher’s MaKenna Albert was caught in a rundown between third and home after a single from Makenzie Johnson and it looked as if the Bobcats would have to wait until the sixth to try and reclaim the lead.

But the sophomore catcher managed to get back to third safely after a couple of Pontiac throws, and three pitches later scored what proved to be the winning run on a wild pitch.

“It was really nice I got pushed all the way to third and I knew it was really important that I needed to score,” she said. “It was nice having coach [Kevin Hayhurst] help me with what I couldn’t see, and it was a really good feeling when I got back to third because I knew they would get me in or even get a passed ball.”

That run was followed by an RBI hit from Elena Kvasnicka. Johnson added one more insurance tally in the top of the seventh when she circled the bases on a triple, her 10th of the season, and an error.

These runs loomed large in the bottom of the inning when a pair of soft singles and an error put Pontiac runners on second and third with no outs.

But it turned out Norkus didn’t need that extra cushion, getting a strikeout, a nice catch from a charging Grace Wuest at third on a bunt that was popped up and another strikeout to end the game.

She finished with 11 strikeouts and no walks.

“I just tried to stay confident in myself,” she said. “And I knew my team has by back, so I wasn’t really worried.”

Norkus now has career highs with 141⅔ innings and 221 strikeouts this season, all while posting a career-best ERA of 0.89 so far.

Hayhurst said her reliable presence in the circle and the team’s timely hitting are a combination that comes in handy this time of year.

“It gives you a little more margin for error when you’re tacking on a few extra runs,” he said. “We needed that, and it allowed us just to play normal and not worry about the runners on base in the last inning.

“Even though those two runs didn’t mean anything in the last inning, [Norkus] is one of those that doesn’t want them to score. She’s out there making quality pitches, and the team feels that. Striking the last person out, that’s Taylor-esque.”

The stage is now set for another instant classic on Friday, with Beecher ranked second in the latest 2A Illinois Coaches Association poll, one spot ahead of Seneca. The Fighting Irish beat St. Bede 10-0 Tuesday and will be looking for their first-ever sectional title despite winning six regional titles since 2017.