Beecher stays unbeaten in RVC play with 7-0 win over Central

BEECHER − When the Beecher softball team lost to Lincoln-Way East on Monday, it was the team’s first regular-season loss in over a calendar year. Much like they did after that loss on April 15, 2024, the Bobcats responded with a shutout River Valley Conference win.

Beecher’s Ava Lorenzatti threw a one-hit shutout Tuesday as the Bobcats (22-1, 9-0 RVC) won 7-0 over second-place Central (12-9, 7-2 RVC) to remain unbeaten in RVC play.

Lorenzatti had 15 strikeouts in the game while allowing only a fifth-inning walk and sixth-inning infield single. She said she felt good about her performance and that the defense was on point behind her on the handful of ball the Comets managed to put in play.

“Our defense looked really sharp today,” she said. “Other than that, just the weather and it finally getting warmer again, I feel really loose now. I think it has been a pretty cold spring so far, so it definitely makes a difference for our team now that we’re out here in the heat.

“It’s more enjoyable, more fun.”

The Bobcats had six hits, all singles, off of Central’s Sydney Jemar, but were able to generate some early offense thanks to a couple of walks, some defensive lapses from the Comets and heads-up baserunning.

Beecher’s first run came when Makenzie Johnson walked in the first inning, reached third base on an error and scored when the ball took too long to get back to the infield. Lilliana Irwin scored in similar fashion in the second.

They scored twice in the fourth thanks to a sacrifice fly from Irwin and run-scoring groundout from Lorenzatti. Alexa Gilva drove in two runs with an RBI groundout in the fifth, thanks to aggressive running from Ava Olson and Elena Kvasnicka, and an RBI groundout from Johnson in the sixth wrapped up the scoring.

Beecher struck out just two times as a team, which head coach Kevin Hayhurst said was key in addition to the opportunistic baserunning.

“They did a good job of putting the ball in play,” he said. “I think they did some smart baserunning, which is really good, and they took advantage of some situations, so it was nice to see them get around the bases.”

Olson led the Bobcats with two hits, going 2 for 3 with a run. Lorenzatti was 1 for 3 with a walk and an RBI. Johnson and Gilva were both 0 for 3, but Johnson had an RBI and a run, and Gilva had two RBIs.

Tuesday’s game also saw the Bobcats – ranked third in the Class 2A ICA Poll released April 27 – return to conference play after playing through their toughest stretch of the season so far. They beat Pontiac, the sixth-ranked 3A team, 3-1 Saturday before falling 6-0 to Lincoln-Way East, the fourth-ranked 4A team, on Monday.

“It definitely shows us some things to work on, and that’s what I like,” Hayhurst said. “I don’t mind losing a ballgame to good teams as long as we’re not making mistakes. I think mentally and physically, we played pretty good ballgames against both Lincoln-Way and Pontiac.”

The Comets got a similar opportunity to face a highly-ranked team Tuesday. While there were some costly mistakes, especially early on, head coach Kelli Wielgus said she thought the team did a good job settling in.

“After the first two innings, I think our defense was pretty sharp,” she said. “We had a few errors here and there, but it wasn’t anything crazy. We shaped up, and Sydney Jemar did a really good job in the circle today.”

Although a Rayven Perkins walk and Keira Donnelly infield single gave the Comets their only runners, Wielgus also felt the team did a good job responding against as tough a pitcher as they will face all year.

“They laid off of her riseball that was high,” she said. “Not too many of them chased it, and many of them like to. They were more disciplined. I like that we’re going in the right direction.”