Softball: Lincoln-Way West wins behind Morghan Dieringer

Lincoln-Way West sophomore right-hander Morghan Dieringer is among the up-and-coming softball pitchers in the Joliet area.

With comfort provided by her teammates’ offensive and defensive support, she rocked Saturday morning at Joliet Central, blanking the Steelmen 10-0.

Dieringer (9-2) tossed a three-hitter, two coming in the first inning, including Taelor Martin’s long double, the other by the leadoff hitter in the second. She struck out 12 and retired 18 of the last 19 batters for Central (10-9), the other reaching on an error.

And, she not only did not walk anyone, she never got to a three-ball count. Coach Heather Novak, who was attending a wedding, missed a dandy.

“Never getting to three balls on any batter, that’s impressive,” West assistant Jack Podlesny said. “We’ve won three straight, Morghan has won them all and hasn’t walked anybody.”

“I think my control has gotten better over the season,” Dieringer said.

“She kept us on our toes,” Central coach Erin Douglas said. “I told our kids to be ready, she’s throwing strikes. She gave us the opportunity to hit, we just didn’t do it.”

West (12-7), meanwhile, belted 17 hits. Kaci Krumreich went 4-for-5 with three doubles and three RBI. Jess Kaemerer had three hits, was on base five times and scored four runs, Carly Souder and Lauren Wojdyla had two hits and Myranda Myranda Eckberg doubled and drove in two.

“We took advantage of our opportunities early,” West assistant Dick Mandella said of the Warriors scoring three times each in the first and second innings. “We did a good job running the bases, and our pitcher did a great job.”

The Warriors made the routine plays behind Dieringer and left fielder Sarah Clark provided the coup de grace, a sliding, backhanded catch on Monica Borrego’s drive down the line in the sixth.

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