Just before Monday’s softball game between Lincoln-Way East and Lockport was about to start, a bolt of lightning was seen, resulting in the start of the game being delayed by 30 minutes.

Lockport starting pitcher Bridget Faut took that time to go to the press box and find the Porters’ trainer to re-bandage some blisters on the heel and instep of her right foot and re-tape the entire ankle.

The routine worked, as Faut limited the potent Griffin offense to just five hits and three runs as the Porters (11-4, 4-0) picked up a 6-3 SouthWest Suburban Conference win. Faut struck out five, including two of the final three batters of the game.

“I guess my feet move around in my shoes,” Faut said about the blisters. “The band-aids and taping is something I do every day. I guess they might turn to calluses if I ever took time off, but I am pitching every day, so I have bandages put on and tape over that to help them stay put. This is the first season I have had to do it, and I am making the adjustments.

“This was a big win for us. Lincoln-Way East is a heck of a team. We are off to a good start. We learned a lot from last year [when the Porters finished fourth in Class 4A], and we are all working together. It’s great to go to the mound with the lead. It takes a lot of pressure off.”

After Faut retired Lincoln-Way East (9-3, 2-1) in order in the top of the first inning, her Lockport teammates wasted no time in giving her that lead. Taylor Lane (2 for 3, two RBIs) led off with a walk and Giovanna Diciolla followed with a single. Alexis Vander Tuuk then delivered a double to left, scoring both runners. Vander Tuuk went to third on a grounder back to the pitcher, then scored on a grounder to short by Olivia Picciola for a 3-0 Porter lead.

It was another big hit for Vander Tuuk, who has made that a habit since hitting a walk-off grand slam in the WJOL Tournament against Providence.

“I’ve been waiting for a pitch I want,” Vander Tuuk said. “It’s great to come up with runners on base to try and drive in, but I can relax because I know that if I don’t, then my teammates batting behind me will come through.

“Ever since I hit the grand slam, I have been more confident at the plate and I just remember who I am as a player.”

Lincoln-Way East, though, erased that lead quickly, scoring three times in the top of the second. Aubrey Bullock led off with a walk and, an out later, Mia Balta singled to right. A double to center by Liz Johnson scored Bullock to cut the lead to 3-1, and Grace Duncan followed with a single through the middle to score both Balta and Johnson to tie the game before Faut induced a pair of infield popups to end the threat.

Lockport took the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Kate Richardson bunted for a single, then went to third on a double by Lane and came in to score on a single by Diciolla (2 for 2, RBI). Lockport added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run single by Lane that scored both Ava Lunstedt, who led off with a double, and Addison Way, who walked.

The Griffins put their first two runners on in the fourth before Richardson made a nice back-handed stop on a grounder to the hole at short and threw to third for the forceout. The next hitter grounded to Richardson, and again, she threw to third to get the lead runner. A hit batter loaded the bases, but Faut got out of the inning with a flyout.

“We’re in the second part of our season, according to [longtime Lockport coach] Barb Burke,” Lockport coach Marissa Chovanec said. “You have your pre-conference schedule, which we got through against some tough teams, then you have your conference schedule, which for us is very tough, then you have the postseason. It was nice to see us get some runs early, and then keep scoring. It’s good to score early, but it’s better to keep scoring after that.

“Taylor Lane came up with a big hit for us, Alexis Vander Tuuk had a big hit. We played very good defense. Kate Richardson made some real good plays at short and Sydney Amschler made some nice plays in left. Bridget is ready to lead after last year. She didn’t have her best stuff today, but she had enough to keep them off balance and popping up.”

Lincoln-Way East coach Liz Hyland saw both good and not so good from her team.

“We were able to get runners on and in scoring position,” she said. “But we didn’t make the adjustments we needed to at the plate in order to get the big hit and drive them in. It was good to see us have that rally after we fell behind, but we need to continue that and do it all seven innings instead of just one.

“We’ll keep grinding and work on the things we need to work on. We’ll see them again before the year is out and we will both be different teams.”