Softball: Lincoln-Way Central avenges 2022 loss to Lincoln-Way East in 5-2 win

FRANKFORT – The players from Lincoln-Way Central didn’t want a repeat of last year’s game against SouthWest Suburban Conference and District 210 rival Lincoln-Way East.

In that game, East got a pinch-hit home run from Kelly Raslavicz, which sparked a 3-2 Griffins win.

There would be no East heroics this year. Lisabella Dimitrijevic saw to that.

Dimitrijevic, a sophomore right-hander, held down the potent East offense, allowing seven hits and two unearned runs while striking out 10 in a 5-2 road win Tuesday.

She also has a unique ritual before she throws a pitch. She gets the sign from her catcher, then puts her weight on her front leg, looks at the ground, then begins her windup. Given the speed at which she throws the ball, not looking at the plate might be a bit unnerving to some hitters.

“I have always done that,” Dimitrijevic said about looking at the ground. “My pitching coach had me do it a long time ago, and I just kept doing it. It’s not like I am never looking at the plate. I get the sign, look to where I want to throw, then I look down. It’s just how it developed.”

Dimitrijevic also was instrumental in the Knights’ offense. Batting third in the lineup, she went 2 for 3 with a double, with her courtesy runner, Teagan Berkshire, scoring in the third inning after the leadoff double.

That came after Central (6-3, 3-0 SWSC) put up a pair of runs in the top of the second. Sarah Kmack led off the inning with a double. Two outs later, Kendall Pearson singled home Kmack, then stole second and came home on a single by Josephine Jager (2 for 5, RBI). In the third, Dimitrijevic’s double started things off before a walk to Mia Guide. Lucy Cameron then singled in Berkshire, and Kmack hit a sacrifice fly to score Guide for a 4-0 lead.

“It’s fun to beat any other Lincoln-Way team,” Guide said. “We definitely remember what happened last year, and we didn’t want it to happen again. It was nice to beat them on their own field this time.

“When Bella is on the mound, we know if we get her four runs, we are in real good shape. She doesn’t give up that many very often.”

Guide added a sacrifice fly in the fourth to score Alexis Youngren, who walked, stole second and went to third on a fly to right by Dimitrijevic, with the Knights’ final run.

Armed with a lead, Dimitrijevic pounded the strike zone and retired 11 of 12 hitters in one stretch.

“It’s great to get an early lead,” she said. “I am a lot more confident when we have the lead because there is less pressure. One mistake isn’t going to hurt us. I just wanted to throw strikes. Our defense did a great job of making all the plays.”

Lincoln-Way Central coach Jeff Tarala was pleased with his team’s ability to produce throughout the lineup.

“Josephine Jager really sets the tone for us at the top,” he said. “She hits the ball hard and gets things going. Sarak Kmack has been off to a great start, and Mia Guide stepped up big for us today. And Bella is just special. She is so young. She’s just a sophomore, and she is so impressive. She is just going to keep growing and learning and getting better.

“It’s always fun to play Lincoln-Way East. They are the gold standard for district, and it’s always a good, fun game when we play.”

Lincoln-Way East (7-2, 2-1) got its two runs in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Katie Stewart reached on an error and, an out later, Amanda Martinek was hit by a pitch. A single by Maddie Henry (2 for 3, double, RBI) brought home Stewart, and Aubrey O’Neil (3 for 3, RBI) singled home Martinek. Dimitrijevic got out of the jam with a strikeout.

“It just wasn’t our day,” East coach Elizabeth Hyland said. “But this is a game we can learn and grow from. We had chances. We had runners on base, but we just didn’t get that hit we needed when there were runners on.

“We need to control what variables we can control, and we didn’t control all of them today. Even so, it’s always fun to go up against another Lincoln-Way team.”