Softball: Minooka’s bats pave way to 14-4 win over Joliet West

MINOOKA – The entire Minooka softball lineup is an aggressive bunch. They like to swing the bat and hit the ball hard.

Chloe Kohnhorst takes it to another level.

Kohnhorst went 2 for 4 Wednesday in a 14-4 Southwest Prairie Conference win over Joliet West and drew a bases-loaded walk to end the game, giving her two RBIs on the day.

The walk was surprising coming from Kohnhorst, who hit the first pitch she saw Wednesday for an RBI double and also singled on the first pitch in her second at-bat.

“I am very much a first-pitch hitter,” she said. “If I like what I see, I am going to go for it. A lot of times, that’s the best pitch you are going to see because the pitcher is trying to get ahead in the count. If you get down 0-1 or 0-2, you are going to see a lot of pitches with spin on them, and they are a lot harder to hit.

“Our whole team likes to hit. That’s what makes it exciting.”

The Indians fell behind 1-0 in the top of the first when Joliet West’s Avery Houlihan tripled to left, then stole home after Brooke Schwall walked and got caught in a rundown between first and second. The Tigers, in what was a theme for them all game, left the bases loaded.

Minooka answered quickly. Anna McClimon (3 for 3, four runs) led off with a double and came home on Kohnhorst’s double. Megan Medlin reached on a dropped fly ball, sending Kohnhorst to third, and Kohnhorst scored on a grounder back to the pitcher by Kaleigh Serra for a 2-1 lead.

Minooka (10-5, 5-2 SPC) took advantage of some more Joliet West defensive miscues in the second, scoring three unearned runs, including one on an RBI single by McClimon, scoring Taylor Mackin, who had singled. West (8-8, 4-2) got a pair of runs back in the top of the third. Houlihan (3 for 4, triple, double) led off with a single and, an out later, Caitlyn Baranak also singled. A single by Grace Cameron loaded the bases, and losing pitcher Jamie Daniels grounded to second. Cameron was forced out at second, and the relay throw to first got away, allowing Houlihan and Baranak to score and cut the lead to 5-3.

McClimon singled and later scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the fourth for a 6-3 Minooka lead, and West got another run in the top of the fifth after Baranak (3 for 4) doubled and came home on a single by Hope Hughes to make it 6-4. The Tigers again had the bases loaded and Mackenzie Dorris topped a grounder in front of the plate. Minooka relief pitcher Olivia Hristov charged and, unable to get the speedy Dorris at first, flipped the ball with her glove to Kohnhorst at home for a force to end the inning.

That brought Minooka up in the bottom of the sixth, and the Indians erupted for eight runs, getting RBI singles from Serra and Mackenzie Mazzocchi, a sacrifice fly by Reagan Szambelan and the walk-off walk by Kohnhorst.

As impressive as Minooka’s offensive production was, West actually outhit the Indians, 14-12. However, Joliet West left 12 runners on base and was loose defensively, dropping a pair of fly balls, booting a couple of grounders and making some wild throws on the infield. Minooka, meanwhile, got a stellar defensive play at third by Medlin, who backhanded a ball down the line and threw the runner out with two runners in scoring position, as well as three nice plays by Hristov.

“They made the plays they had to, and we didn’t,” West coach Heather Suca said. “Their pitcher made some real good plays. We gave them a lot of outs, and you can’t do that against a good team like Minooka.

“The score looks worse than the game really was. Jamie Daniels threw the ball well. They got some bloop hits, and we hit some line drives right at people. In the end, Minooka took care of things on defense, and we didn’t.”

Brown agreed with Suca.

“Joliet West is a scrappy team, and they were hanging around all game,” he said. “It was nice to see us get some separation there in the sixth inning. It has been awhile since we have beaten them, so it was nice to get a win against them.

“It just shows how talented our lineup is 1 through 9 to put up eight runs in the sixth inning. And our defense did a real good job today.”