Softball: Pitcher-catcher combos on same page in sectional wins for Lincoln-Way Central, Lemont

In a span of two days earlier this week, two Herald-News area softball pitchers were one batter away from a perfect game.

On Tuesday, Lincoln-Way Central’s Lisabella Dimitrijevic retired the first 20 batters she faced against Lincoln-Way West before allowing a home run with two outs in the seventh. Still, she finished with a one-hitter and 16 strikeouts.

On Wednesday, Lemont’s Sage Mardjetko threw a no-hitter with 18 strikeouts in a 7-0 win over Joliet Catholic Academy, but walked a batter in the fourth inning.

Besides their obvious and prodigious talent, what do Dimitrijevic and Mardjetko have in common?

They both have catchers - Lucy Cameron for Lincoln-Way Central and Frankie Rita for Lemont — who call their own pitches. In an age where most pitchers and catchers wear wristbands to interpret what pitches the coaches are calling, that’s a rarity. But they both like it, and so do their catchers.

“I just go with my gut,” Cameron said about what she calls when Dimitrijevic is in the circle. “I know Bella pretty well, I catch her during the summer, and we work well together.

“One thing that’s good about Bella is I just put my mitt up and she hits it, no matter where it is. I don’t really have to worry about her beating me up with a lot of balls in the dirt or anything like that. She can put it pretty much wherever she wants to.

“It’s definitely a lot of fun to catch her, especially when she is on. It’s a pretty easy gig, really.”

Dimitrijevic is more of a classic power pitcher, using the speed of her pitches to overpower hitters. But, as Cameron said, she is able to locate the ball with precision.

That showed Tuesday.

“I noticed early in the game that the umpire was calling low pitches strikes,” DImitrijevic said. “I knew they [Lincoln-Way West hitters] were expecting a lot of riseballs, but early in the game the umpire was giving the low strikes, so I stayed low. I think that’s why there were so many called strikeouts early in the game. They weren’t expecting the ball to stay down.

“I talked with Lucy about it, and we just kept throwing the ball low.”

Staying in communication with each each other is a key for both batteries.

“I’ve been catching Sage for the last three years,” Rita said. “I know her pretty well, and she knows me. She really doesn’t shake me off very often. I put the signal down, and she throws it.”

That can be a difficult choice, as Mardjetko’s arsenal includes a fastball, a curve, a screwball, a changeup, a riseball and a dropball. Those aren’t just for show. She can and does throw any of them on any count in any situation with an equal amount of confidence and command. And she does it without tipping off her pitches in her delivery in any way.

It’s something Rita knows very well.

“We talk before the game and have a game plan going in,” Rita said. “But if something isn’t working as well or one pitch is working very well, we’ll talk about it. Game plans change during the game depending on what’s working.”

Lemont coach Chris Traina is more than happy to have that part of the game taken care of by her senior battery.

“It’s so nice to have those two able to do that on their own,” she said. “I don’t have to worry about that part of the game with Frankie and Sage. They take care of it, and I can focus on other parts of the game.”

“It’s so nice to have those two able to do that on their own. I don’t have to worry about that part of the game with Frankie and Sage. They take care of it, and I can focus on other parts of the game.”

—  Chris Traina, Lemont softball coach