Softball: Lincoln-Way Central finds its groove in win over Lincoln-Way West

NEW LENOX – Coming into Tuesday’s SouthWest Suburban Conference Red Division matchup against its crosstown rival, the Lincoln-Way Central softball team already had accomplished a goal.

The Knights had captured the SWSC Red title. Their fifth straight in seasons played, sixth in seven years, and ninth since the league formed in 2005-06.

But that didn’t stop them from putting on a 12-hit offensive display and coasting to an 11-1 win in five innings over a depleted Lincoln-Way West team to cap off an undefeated SWSC Red season Tuesday afternoon at Lincoln-Way Central.

“One of our goals is to always win the conference,” Lincoln-Way Central coach Jeff Tarala said. “It’s priority No. 1, and then we get ready for the postseason. They [conference titles] don’t come easy. We’ve had good players. I could go down the list over the years, but we’ve just been blessed with very good players.”

When the Knights were the Class 4A state runner-up last season, they actually shared the conference title with Bradley-Bourbonnais. There was no sharing this season, however. Lincoln-Way Central (20-4-1, 8-0) now has won 15 of its past 16 games, losing 2-0 to last season’s Class 3A state runner-up, Lemont, last Saturday for the only blemish in the past five weeks.

“That was a goal,” Lincoln-Way Central senior McKenzie Murdock said of winning the conference title. “Lincoln-Way West is a competitive program. We wanted to come out, have fun and do well.”

Murdock mashed a sky-high home run, her sixth of the season, to right to lead off the bottom of the third. Sophomore Lucy Cameron added a two-run homer to left in the fourth, which capped off a six-run outburst and allowed the Knights to polish it off by holding Lincoln-Way West scoreless in the top of the fifth.

But the biggest hit for Lincoln-Way Central came in the second. After there were two outs and none on, an error, a walk and a single by winning pitcher Lyndsey Grein (2-for-3) loaded the bases. That brought up senior Charlotte Toosley, who lifted a 1-2 pitch to left for a bases-clearing double. That made the score 4-1.

“I knew I had to come through in some way,” said Toosley, who was 1 for 2 with a walk. I was a little nervous with two strikes, but the pitch was in my spot, high and outside, and I hit it to left. I had never had a three-RBI hit before. That was exciting.

“It [going undefeated in conference] does feel great. We just have to keep working into the postseason. I’m excited.”

Murdock, who was 3 for 3 with three RBIs, thought Toosley’s hit was the key one.

“We were all ready to go,” Murdock said. “It was a conference game, a rivalry game, and once our bats started going we needed one big hit. Charlotte got that.”

Jamie Widule, a senior who was 2 for 3, had an RBI single to left in the fourth. Murdock followed with a two-run double down the third baseline, to make it 8-1. Sophomore Josephine Jager (3 for 3, double, 2 RBIs), who drove in the game’s first run with a two-out RBI single to center in the first, drove in another one with another single to center. Then Cameron clubbed her second home run of the season.

“I knew I hit it hard. I just saw an inside pitch and drove it to the left side,” Cameron said. “It was a great team effort.”

Cameron was on varsity as a catcher last season as a freshman. She was behind Bella Wilkerson, who currently is playing at Illinois State University and credits the former Knight standout for her success.

“I was a freshman and didn’t play much,” said Cameron, who has embraced the starting catching role this season. “But I learned a lot from Bella, and it was a great experience. I’m very excited for the postseason. I think we can go back to Peoria again.”

West (16-8, 3-4) tied the game at 1-all on a two-out RBI double to left-center by senior Abbie Gregus in the second. Juniors Molly Marquardt and Kaitlyn Pocius, along with sophomore Cameron Ball, had hits for Lincoln-Way West.

The Warriors, who captured SWSC Red titles in 2013, 2014, and 2016 were looking to compete for the conference this season, too. They started the season 6-0 and 12-1. But injuries to senior ace pitcher Allie Wondrasek and sophomore center fielder/leadoff hitter, Ava Murphy, derailed those plans. Both players are out for the season.

“Our girls are continuing to come out and play hard,” West coach Heather Novak said. “We had a good approach at the plate today and opportunities to score.

“We’re coming out strong every day and working hard toward [the regional] next week.”

So are the Knights, who reached the 20-win plateau for the fifth straight season and sixth time in the past seven years. They know Grein, who pitched them to the state title game last year and had two walks and six strikeouts in four innings against Lincoln-Way West, will have to be ready to go.

“She’ll be ready to go come playoff time,” Tarala said of Grein, who had relief help from freshman Lisabrella Dimitrijevic in the fifth. “She’s a competitor out there.

“But yes, it’s going to be tough in the postseason. We play in the toughest [Sandburg] Sectional in the state [which features all threeLincoln-Way teams and Lockport], and hopefully we’ll be the one to come out of it.”