Softball: Lockport stymies Lincoln-Way East
By Bill Harrison For Sun-Times Media April 11, 2012 11:08PM
Lockport's Taylor Weissenhofer delivers a pitch against the Lincoln-Way East. | Allen Cunningham~For Sun-Times Media
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Updated: May 13, 2012 10:34AM
Tuesday was not a good day for either No. 3 Lincoln-Way East or No. 2 Lockport. The Griffins lost to crosstown rival Lincoln-Way North, while the Porters fell to Naperville Central.
Both were considered upsets, but not surprising in a season when so-called average teams consistently are beating ranked teams across the state.
Wednesday, when East and Lockport squared off in Frankfort, something had to give. And it definitely wasn’t Porters pitcher Taylor Weissenhofer, who didn’t give up much during her team’s 8-1 win over the Griffins (9-4, 0-1) in a SouthWest Suburban Blue game.
“It was out first conference game and we really had to come out and perform well, and we did,” said Weissenhofer, who struck out 13 and allowed five hits. “It’s good to get those strikeouts in a conference game.”
Weissenhofer struck out a season-high 16 during a game earlier in the year, and got plenty of support from her offense and defense. The Porters (11-4, 1-0) played errorless ball while pounding out nine hits.
Kelly Pattison and Bri Carney each had two hits. Pattison, who had been slumping, had two doubles and a run.
“My dad told me last night to just relax,” Pattison said. “It worked.”
The Porters led 4-1 heading into the final inning, when they scored four runs on consecutive hits by Pattison, Carney, Alyssa Visvardis and Brittany Bickelman. Visvardis (RBI) entered the game in the third when Melissa Stoch was hit by a pitch and had to leave the game.
Alexis Huss had a double for the Griffins, while Brianna Morell scored the only run on a double steal in the fourth to close to within 2-1. Carly Dundee doubled for the Porters.
“We are real pleased with how our kids played today,” Lockport coach Marissa Chovanec said. “You could come out one or two ways after losing two in a row. You can hang your head or look ahead.
“I felt after the (scoreless) first inning we made our adjustments at the plate.”
