Softball: Lincoln-Way East rallies past Trinity

Updated: March 31, 2012 7:52PM

Chilly temperatures didn’t stop either team from swinging hot bats, but a three-run sixth gave Lincoln-Way East the lead for good in an 11-6 victory over Trinity Saturday.

The Griffins (5-1) trailed the host Blazers 3-2 after four innings before they scored five times in the fifth to jump in front 6-3. Samantha Stewart’s two-run double was the big blow in the inning while two Trinity errors also contributed to the rally.

“Our hitting came alive and everything just clicked today,” Lincoln-Way East coach Elizabeth Pawlicki said. “Our hitters stepped up and made great adjustments in the batter’s box. Every time they scored we came back. We just kept the momentum and motivation going our way.

“We have two pitchers who have been doing phenomenal this year, feeding off each other. Chrisi (Mizera) did a great job starting for us and Kaycee Hart came in and did exactly what we asked her to do. Both came mentally prepared to play against a great Trinity team.”

The Blazers (5-3) came right back, however, in the bottom of the frame as they touched Hart, who picked up the win, with three runs. Ashley Klauss walked, followed by singles from Nicole Evans and Chase Machain, Trinity’s starting and losing pitcher. After Hart fanned the next two batters, Gaby Parravicini lined a single up the middle, bringing home Klauss and Evans. Gabby Smart then reached on an infield hit to bring in Machain’s courtesy runner and knot the score.

Machain was greeted in the sixth by a single and a double off the bats of Brianna Morales and Nicolle Miskowicz, respectively, to knock the Trinity pitcher off the mound. Reliever Monica Garcia retired the first hitter she faced before she issued an intentional pass to Alexis Huss (2-for-3, 2 runs) to load the bases. Stewart then hit a sacrifice fly to right field to bring home Morales before Juell Hodges smacked a single to plate two more runners.

Trinity coach Bob Osborne said he was satisfied with the way his team performed at the plate, but was disappointed in its defense.

“I thought it was a good game, we battle well but we made too many errors,” he said. “I think we had four or five errors and you can’t win like that. We’ve been struggling with errors in bigger games and we just need to do a better job catching the ball.

“We hit the ball very well today, I’m very happy that everyone in the entire lineup, one to nine, reached base and that’s important. But we have some work to do if we want to go Downstate.”

Morales (2-for-5, two RBI) led off the game with a home run to center field for the Griffins, but the Blazers’ Evans (3-for-3, 2 runs, RBI) answered in the bottom of the first with a blast to deep left that cleared the fence. Carrie Riley smacked three singles and scored a run for Trinity while Smart had two hits and a run batted in.

Nikki Jarrell had two hits, including a double, and scored twice, while Carissa Ernat tripled and scored a run for the Griffins.

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