Softball: Gregus, Lincoln-Way West power past Providence

NEW LENOX – Abbie Gregus was one of three seniors – along with Kylie Lysik and Allie Wondrasek – who were honored before Lincoln-Way West’s nonconference softball game with Providence Catholic on Tuesday.

It didn’t take long for Gregus to put her personal stamp on the day.

In the bottom of the first inning, after the Warriors held Providence scoreless in the top half, leadoff hitter Peyton Cusack led off with a single. That brought up Gregus, who proceeded to deposit a 1-2 pitch over the fence in left for a 2-0 lead en route to a 12-4 victory that snapped a four-game losing streak.

“A home run on senior day was exciting,” Gregus said. “It feels really good, especially since Providence is a really good team. I had been off to a little rocky start at the beginning of the season, but I am getting my confidence back.

“It was nice to get the win. The team was down a little bit with Allie [Wondrasek] down [with an injury], but Olivia [Calderone] has come in and pitched tough. They are different styles, but the more I catch her, the better chemistry we have.”

Gregus, who will play for Loyola of Chicago next year, finished the day 3 for 4 with a double and the homer. All she needed was a triple for the cycle, and she was on deck when the last Warriors out was made.

“A triple would have been hard,” she said. “The fences aren’t very deep, and I am not the fastest runner.”

The Warriors (14-5) finished with four runs in the first inning and added four more in the third, two in the fourth and two in the sixth. Winning pitcher Calderone helped her cause by going 4 for 4 and scoring four runs, while Avery Imes finished with two hits and four RBIs. Kaitlyn Pocius (two RBIs) also had a pair of hits for West, as did Cusack.

“We swung the bats well today,” West coach Heather Novak said. “We took a better approach at the plate, and we did a good job of running the bases. It was big for us to score those four runs right away.

It was a great senior day. We took the time to recognize all that those three have done for our program and show them that we appreciate it.”

The offensive production from West was in stark contrast to Providence’s. The Celtics (17-6) were able to get runners on base but had trouble bringing them in to score. Providence left seven runners on base in the first three innings, including five in scoring position. Although they had the leadoff hitter on base in five of their seven at-bats, the Celtics only scored in one inning, and that was one in which the leadoff hitter did not reach.

“This was a bit of an odd day for us,” Providence coach Jim Holba said. “Usually we have been able to pick up those runners in scoring position. It was a case of atom balls. We hit them right at them at the right times, and they made the plays.

“You can’t ask for much more than to have the leadoff hitter on in five different innings. We just didn’t get the hit to bring them in, especially early. But games against teams like this will get us ready for the postseason. We are playing every day this week, so we have an opportunity to get right back out there and right the ship.”

The big hit in the four-run third for West was a two-run single by Pocius. Imes had an RBI groundout in the fourth and added a two-run single for the Warriors’ runs in the fifth.

In the Celtics’ fourth, Annika Hannigan singled with one out, and courtesy runner Gaby Reyes went to second on a wild pitch. A bunt single by Nicole Magdziasz put runners on first and third and a grounder to second by Grace Golebiowski scored Reyes with Providence’s first run. After a single by Gianna Russo (2 for 3) put runners on first and third, a double to right-center by Abbey Johnson scored both runners to make it 8-3, Kailee O’Sullivan then singled in Johnson for Providence’s final run.