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NEW LENOX — In most games, Lincoln-Way Central catcher Jaimee Bolduc has the best seat in the house. She gets to crouch behind the plate and witness the dominance of pitcher Bella Dimitrijevic.
That dominance was on display Saturday, as Dimitrijevic, the reigning Gatorade Illinois Player of the Year, threw a one-hitter with 17 strikeouts in a 5-0 win over Lemont.
A side effect of catching a pitcher such as Dimitrijevic is that it gives Bolduc the unique opportunity to see pitching at its best and recognize it when she is in the batter’s box.
She used that handy bit of knowledge in the bottom of the fifth inning, when she launched a solo homer to center to put her team ahead 2-0.
“The ball I hit was a rise ball,” Bolduc said. “My coaches have been telling me to swing more down on the ball, especially on a rise ball, and to think line drives. The one I hit was high in the zone, so I was able to get it up in the air. If I try to hit it in the air, I just pop it up, so swinging down on it helped.
“It also helps to catch Bella and see her rise ball all the time. I can recognize that spin coming out of the pitcher’s hand. This is our first year working together as pitcher and catcher, and it took a while for us to get on the same page. But now, I have a lot better idea of what she wants to throw and when she wants to throw it.”
The Knights (16-1) scored in the bottom of the first when Ellie McLauglin led off with a bunt single, went to third on a double off the top of the left-field fence by Kayla Doerre (2 for 3) and scored on a single by Dimitrijevic (2 for 3, RBI). Courtesy runner Bridget Barz stole second, but Lemont’s Sydney Kibbon worked out of the jam with no more runs scoring.
It was a bit of a theme for Central, as the Knights left 11 runners on base, including eight in scoring position as Kibbon and reliever Mila Mardjetko continually worked out of jams.
“We left a lot of runners on base,” Lincoln-Way Central coach Jeff Tarala said. “We need to do better at bringing runners around to score. We threw the ball well and fielded well, but from time to time we struggle to get runners in. That has been up and down our lineup. Jaimee Bolduc had been struggling lately, so it was good to see her hit that home run.
“It’s very nice when we score early and have Bella pitching. It gives us a lot more confidence and it tends to demoralize the other team knowing they have to try and come back against her.”
Lemont (13-6) got a double from Natalie Pacyga in the first inning, but did not manage another hit. Maya Hollendoner reached base twice, once on a walk and once on an error, and Claire Podrebarac reached on a walk, but that was it. No one below the fourth spot in the lineup put the ball in play as Dimitrijevic struck out 13 batters in the 5-9 spot in the order.
“Bella is a very good pitcher, but we have to put the ball in play,” Lemont coach Chris Traina said. “Our pitchers threw the ball well, but when you don’t score that makes it tough.
“But this is why we schedule teams like Lincoln-Way Central. The better competition you see, the more it helps in the long run.”
Despite losing a wealth of experience from last year’s supersectional team, Lincoln-Way Central has raced out to 16 wins in its first 17 games.
“We lost almost the whole starting lineup from last year,” Bolduc said. “Everyone has stepped up this year, especially the non-starters. We have gotten contributions from everyone and it has been really fun to get off to a great start.”