Softball: Lemont keeps rolling, tops Ottawa for 3A sectional title

LEMONT – When Lemont’s Maya Hollendoner stepped to the plate in the second inning with runners in scoring position and two outs, she had one pitch in one location on her mind.

She didn’t miss it.

Hollender’s clutch two-run single to left field off Ottawa ace McKenzie Oslanzi opened the scoring in Friday’s Class 3A Lemont Sectional championship game. The sophomore later drove in the first of five runs in the fifth with another base hit on an 0-2 count to left to help the hosts to a 7-0 victory over the Pirates at the Lemont High School Sports Complex.

[ Photos: Lemont vs. Ottawa Class 3A Sectional Softball ]

“I think we all were anxious and a little bit jittery in the first inning,” Hollendoner said. “When I came up in the second inning with a couple runners on, I just wanted to help the team calm down. I just went up looking to attack my pitch, a low pitch, and I was able to do that. My second time up I wanted to keep that same approach, especially after I got down in the count.

“I’ve been in and out of the lineup this season, but the last few weeks I’ve been in, and have been able to put some good at-bats together. Hopefully I can continue to play well. I’m just excited to be able to help the team win.”

Lemont (31-1) now plays Metamora, which topped Washington 3-1 in is own sectional final, in the Class 3A East Peoria Supersectional at EastSide Centre at 4:30 p.m. Monday. Ottawa ends the season with a 26-6 mark.

Ottawa’s Hailey Larsen led off the game with a bunt single – the only hit allowed in the game by Lemont all-stater Sage Mardjetko (20-0) – to short second. Larsen then stole second and moved to third on a throwing error but was left there after Mardjetko picked up a pair of strikeouts and a foulout. In the Pirates’ second, Maura Condon was hit by a pitch, and after a strikeout, Peyton Bryson worked a walk. Condon and pinch-runner Addy Miller stole a base, but both were stranded after a popped-up bunt and strikeout.

“The first two innings were a little rough,” said Mardjeko, who finished allowing only the one hit, while walking two, hitting two and striking out 18 in the complete-game shutout. “Ottawa is a very good hitting team, so I used my changeup early in the game to try and keep them off-balance. I think showing that pitch early really helped in later innings.

“I used a lot of my past experiences to get me out of that first inning. I’ve learned that those are the times that you really have to pitch with your head sometimes more than your arm.”

Lemont broke through in the second as Avaree Taylor led off with a single, and after Oslanzi fanned the next two hitters, Olivia Parent’s bunt was misplayed before Hollendoner liner was just out of the reach of a diving Condon at third.

“Ottawa put the pressure on us right away in those first two innings,” Lemont coach Chris Traina said. “We needed to make some adjustments and we did. We talk a lot about, like every team does, about being focused and playing one game at a time. That’s especially important in the postseason and I feel like we are doing a very good job with that right now.”

In the fifth, Parent singled, stole second and scored on Hollendoner’s second hit to make it 3-0. Alyssa DeMaio then walked and an out later Natalie Pacyga scored a run with a groundout. Ottawa then made a throwing error that scored two and Mardjetko’s RBI groundout closed out the scoring.

Oslanzi (18-5) finished her final outing in an Ottawa uniform going six innings, allowing five hits, three earned runs with two walks and nine strikeouts.

“I was happy with the way we played, but we just had that one bad inning that makes the score much worse than it was,” Ottawa coach Adam Lewis said. “We were able to put pressure on the base paths in the first four innings, but just couldn’t get that next hit to start a rally.

“Sure, we wanted to win today and keep playing, but this season we were conference champs, regional champs and made it to the Sweet 16. I couldn’t be prouder of the season we had.”