Softball: Lemont outlasts Tinley Park

Updated: April 12, 2012 8:43PM

Lemont coach Christine Traina was perplexed.

Her No. 8 Indians had just beaten host Tinley Park 8-7 in a key South Suburban Blue game Thursday, but nobody looked very happy.

“How come I don’t see any smiles here?” she said in the huddle.

Traina knew the answer. It was an 8-7 win, but at one point it was a 7-0 lead. Nonetheless …

“We gave up some runs, but Tinley’s a good team,” Traina said. “You’ve got to give it to them. And we should be happy.”

The victory left the Indians (14-2, 10-1) alone at the top of the Blue, with Tinley Park (11-7, 8-2) dropping to second.

Freshman Rylie Jay led the way offensively for Lemont, going 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBI. Carly Jaworski added two hits while going the distance in the circle for the Indians.

Cosette Tomita (4 RBI) bashed two home runs and Amber Buss another for the Titans.

Lemont appeared headed for a rout early, with leadoff hitter Lauren May (3-for-4) the first of six consecutive Indians to reach base against Tinley starter Maranda Stroz. The key blows in the inning were a double by Alexis Valone and a two-run triple by Jay.

“When one gets a hit everybody starts going,” said Jay, one of several underclassmen in the starting lineup.

Jay also was involved in their seventh run, singling with one out in the top of the third and coming in on a Tinley error.

But the Titans were far from done, even down 7-0.

Alyssa Gunther started the rally with a leadoff double in the bottom of the third. She scored on a Tomita single, and Buss followed with a two-run homer to left.

Lemont scratched across a run in the fourth to go ahead 8-3, but a double by Liz Brezenski and a two-run bomb by Buss made it a three-run proposition through five.

It was then Jaworski got tough for Lemont, retiring six in a row. She walked Sarah Gillespie and allowed another home run by Tomita with two outs in the seventh, but got Buss on a grounder to third baseman Carli Kavanagh to end it.

“My biggest pet peeve is giving up home runs,” Jaworski said. “Basically, I just had to get deep down and dig.

“I knew coming into this game that all of these girls are great hitters I had to push myself hard, working on different speeds, to get into the game.”

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