Plainfield S. runs out of pixie dust

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LISLE -- The team that caught lightning in a bottle ran into an opponent with thunder in its bats.

Boom, boom, boom, boom.

The Lake Park High School softball team erupted for 14 hits in a 9-2 victory over Plainfield South in the 4A supersectional Monday night at Benedictine University.

The Lancers (33-4) sent 8 hitters to the plate in the bottom of the first inning and scored 4 runs on 5 hits to knock South on its heels from the get-go.

The Cougars (26-9) closed within 4-2 in the top of the third thanks to a hit batter, a walk, an infield single and an error. But they never were able to find the magic that enabled them to score back-to-back-to-back postseason upsets over Downers Grove South, Lockport and Naperville Central.

"Yeah, this is the best team that we've ever had at Plainfield South and actually in Plainfield history -- we've gone the farthest," Cougars senior shortstop Krista Matsui said. "So, we've got to feel good for that.

"But we just lost and it's so heart-breaking for us."

The feeling on the other side was one of euphoria.

Lake Park moves on to face Barrington at 7 p.m. Friday in the 4A semifinals at EastSide Centre in East Peoria. The Fillies rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat Crystal Lake South 4-3 in 10 innings in the Elgin Supersectional.

Lynsey Ciezki, a senior four-year regular, started the ball rolling for the Lancers. She ripped a 1-1 pitch that kicked off the foot of South's Alyssa Schrader in the bottom of the first for an infield single. Ciezki stole second and went to third on an infield single by Carly Willert.

After Schrader struck out Missy Mazur, Lake Park's Alexis Munaco followed with an RBI single to put the Lancers on top 1-0. Vicki Tomaka drove in 2 more runs with a double to right-center.

Munaco finished with 3 hits in 4 at-bats and 2 RBIs. Tomaka scored 3 runs, had 2 hits and 2 RBIs. She also figured on a 2-8 putout on a pickoff play at second base and made a running catch of Matsui's popup in the 5th.

"We talked about it," Lake Park coach Cray Allen said of scoring early. "The last time against West Chicago (in the Lancers' 4-2 sectional victory Saturday), we had runners on 2nd and 3rd and nobody out and we don't score in the 1st inning. You talk about giving an underdog some confidence. It ended up being a tough game with West Chicago.

"We talked about it after that game. We talked about it before this game. I said, 'If it happens again, I was prepared to bunt 3 straight times to get girls in. We weren't going to go scoreless in the 1st inning in that same situation.' The girls took it to heart. Look what they did.

"It just kind of snowballs from there. Fourteen hits. It's contagious as heck. You know how sports is, especially baseball and softball. Once you get a couple girls rolling, I told all the sophomores on our team -- we have seven sophomores -- if you're scared right now, you're selfish. Because you've got 3 seniors that are going to lead you and another 2-3 juniors that are awfully good. The limelight is on them. So, they had no reason to be nervous.

"And it just kind of snowballed. That's exactly what happened."

Schrader (20-6) worked 4 1/3 innings. She allowed all 9 runs -- 8 of them earned -- on 13 hits. She struck out 5. Her riseball wasn't as effective as normal and, to make matters worse, everything Lake Park hit seemed to find a hole.

"They're a good, quality team," Schrader said. "They got some good, clutch hits and kind of took it from there in the first inning."

Given a lead to work with, Mazur (24-4) settled into a groove on the mound for the Lancers. The University of Iowa recruit was nicked for 2 runs -- 1 earned -- on 4 hits in 6 innings. She struck out 3. Angie Bates worked a 1-2-3 inning in the 7th to close out the Cougars.

"Our team had many goals and expectations for the season," Schrader said. "We went above and beyond them. It was good to face some (great) teams and know that we were right there with them. This team is a good ballteam. I wish them the best of luck in state.

"But our team worked really hard together. Also, I think we can say we accomplished so much this season, not just on the ballfield. But we took a lot away with friendship between team members. It will be good to take with us the rest of our lives."

Schrader finished with 2 of South's 4 hits. She also drove in 1 run. Jackie Frey went 1-for-2 and scored a run. And Melissa Reyes reached when she was hit by a pitch in the third and scored for the Cougars.

"Oh, no, she's taken quite a few of those; she's pretty rock-solid," South coach Tara Singler said of whether Schrader was affected by Ciezki's liner that kicked off her spikes to open the game. "I don't know if that was it. I just think they're a great-hitting ballclub. They brought the sticks today, for sure.

"It's hard -- the 4 runs in the bottom of the 1st -- to come back from that. Our girls showed a little resiliency scoring the 2 and, you know, we weren't catching any breaks at all. It was tough. You just keep on battling. Hopefully you can find something that fools them.

"I don't think we had anything that fooled them because they just were hitting everything. They're the best hitting team, by far, of any we've played."