Ava Lorenzatti’s bat, Taylor Norkus’ arm carry Beecher past Seneca to third straight sectional title

SENECA – Two of the top teams in Class 2A met Friday for the Class 2A Seneca Sectional championship in a matchup – had the brackets broken differently – that’s not hard to envision taking place eight days later in Peoria with a state title on the line.

Instead, perennial powerhouses Beecher and Seneca met some 80 miles northeast of Peoria, with one swing of the bat deciding which team would go on and which would go home.

Florida State University commit Ava Lorenzatti took that swing, a no-doubt-about-it solo home run to open the bottom of the third inning. Colgate University commit Taylor Norkus took it from there, one-hitting the potent Fighting Irish on their home field for a 1-0 victory and the Bobcats’ third consecutive sectional title.

“It was deep in the count, and I thought, ‘Now’s the time for a good pitch,’ and I waited exactly for the one that I wanted,” Lorenzatti said of her line-drive shot that boomed over the fence in right-center with a satisfying crack and escape velocity to spare. “As soon as I heard it off the bat, I started jogging.

“I heard the noise and I knew it was going to be a home run.”

It was the only time Beecher – now 34-2 heading into Monday’s EastSide Centre Supersectional against Brimfield – managed to score against Seneca ace Tessa Krull (6 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K).

Thanks to the work of Norkus (7 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 10 K), it was enough.

“[Lorenzatti] is the best hitter in 2A,” Seneca coach Brian Holman said. “She’s one of the top 10 hitters in the entire state. Unfortunately, she was leading off, so we couldn’t walk her there. ...

“I don’t think we missed the spot [with the pitch]. She just put a good swing on it.”

Fighting Irish (34-2) cleanup batter Lexie Buis provided the lone hit against Norkus, a sharp, one-out single to left in a fourth inning that proved to be the only frame Seneca truly threatened to score. Norkus, however, stranded the bases loaded with the fifth of her 10 strikeouts on one of many nasty changeups on the day, preserving the 1-0 advantage Lorenzatti had given her the inning before.

Norkus did not allow another Seneca baserunner – a fact made even more impressive by the fact she didn’t know until the team arrived in Seneca if it would be her or Lorenzatti heading to the circle to pitch.

“I was very, very surprised, and I was very excited,” Norkus said of getting the starting nod. “I did have a good feeling, so I was like, ‘Mom, I kind of want to pitch today,’ and it happened. ...

“Coach came up to me during warmups and said, ‘I think I want you to pitch today.’ I was ready for whatever, but I was happy to get the opportunity.”

Besides Lorenzatti’s game-winning homer, Beecher received singles from Ava Olson, Allie Johnson and Makenna Albert. More vitally, the Bobcats received multiple game-changing defensive plays from the likes of Lorenzatti at third, Albert behind the plate, Elena Kvasnicka at first and left fielder Tayiah Scanlan absolutely robbing Seneca leadoff hitter Alyssa Zellers of a sure-fire extra-base hit on the opening pitch of the game.

“It was amazing,” Norkus said of Scanlan’s drifting-to-the-fence catch. “[A play like that] pumps up our whole team, and it gives me trust in my team and makes me comfortable.”

Beecher, again, moves on.

“It never gets old,” Beecher coach Kevin Hayhurst said. “You’ve got to keep going. It’s exciting, and the more wins you get, the more people that get on board.”

Seneca – which has averaged 25.8 wins per season and won six regional championships since 2011, but never a sectional – again looks to next year.

“Sometimes you get lucky with the [postseason] draw, and sometimes you don’t,” Holman said. “But it’s two really good teams. Look at any rankings you want. Everybody here knows it, and you saw all the people here. ... It was a big one with two high-level programs and teams, and, yeah, one run short again.

“It’s tough, but we have a lot to be proud of.”