If one thing isn’t working, find another way to get the job done.
That was basically the driving force behind Chicago Christian sophomore Hannah Dieck, who led the Knights to a 7-6 come-from-behind win Monday over Riverside-Brookfield.
Dieck, a right-handed pitcher, didn’t have her best day in the circle. She had a particularly tough fifth inning, during which the Bulldogs scored five runs and took a 6-4 lead.
Chicago Christian, however, rallied in the bottom of the seventh. Dieck, already 4-for-4 with a double and three singles, finished off the comeback with a walk-off base hit.
The Knights (5-3) hit the ball well up and down the order, totaling 14 hits.
Dieck appreciated the support.
“That was a great win for us,” she said. “Coming back in the bottom of the seventh is always a great feeling, and it’s fun when you are on the hitting side of it.
“You always dream of being able to drive in a game-winner. I had a pitch that I could drive and was fortunate to hit it to the gap. I was glad to be able to come through for my teammates. They gave me a lot of help.”
For the season, Dieck is hitting .500 (14-for-28) with four doubles. In the circle she has 42 strikeouts in 42 innings, and has held opponents to a .268 average.
She is also winning the mental game, according to Knights coach Kevin Pittman.
“Hannah is a competitor and sometimes has trouble letting go of and moving on from a bad pitch or a walk,” Pittman said. “She wants to be so perfect and perform so well that it really bothers her when it doesn’t happen, and she beats herself up a little bit.
“She has very high expectations, which is great as long as it doesn’t consume you when you play a game where you fail at the plate more than you are successful. It was good to see her work through some pitching struggles to step up at the plate.”
Player-plus: Seton coach Scott Pallay appreciates junior Kayla Jones for more than her playing ability.
“She is a marvelous teammate,” Pallay said. “She bends over backward to help me motivate the less experienced players we’ve had the past three seasons.”
Through eight games, Jones is batting .708 (17-for-24) with six doubles and two home runs. In the circle, she has a 4-1 record with 44 strikeouts in 27.2 innings.
“Kayla is the most valuable player I have ever coached in 15 years of softball,” Pallay said. “She can literally play all nine positions.”
Jones was the team MVP in volleyball the past two seasons, and last season was the MVP in softball. According to Pallay, she is looking into transferring to Marist, Marian Catholic, De La Salle or Chicago Christian for her senior year.
“I am going to miss her a great deal and am very upset I won’t get to coach her for her senior year,” Pallay said. “Any school that gets her will be blessed, for sure.”
Leading the way: More often than not, Tatyana Henderson has put Crete-Monee in a position to put runs on the board.
The senior center fielder is batting .533 (8-for-15) out of the leadoff spot for the Warriors. She has 10 stolen bases.
“She is getting on base and scoring for us,” Crete coach Sue Giannantonio said. “She also uses her speed for us on defense, making running catches in the outfield.
“Tatyana has tremendous concentration and reflexes to react to game situations naturally. She makes everything look so easy. She has stepped up this year and is an important contributor on offense for us.”
Henderson plans to continue playing at Iowa Central Jr. College.
Twitter @tbaranek
TOP 10
Won-loss records through Monday, with last week’s rankings in parentheses.
1. Marist 6-2 (1)
2. Providence 6-0 (3)
3. Lincoln-Way North 14-0 (4)
4. Tinley Park 5-0 (5)
5. Marian Catholic 8-0 (6)
6. Lincoln-Way West 4-1 (7)
7. Beecher 7-0 (8)
8. Andrew 4-1 (NR)
9. Lincoln-Way East 4-2 (2)
10. Mother McAuley 6-3 (NR)
Player of the Week: Providence’s Jessica Cothern, a senior catcher, was 5-for-8 (.625) with one home run, four runs and three RBIs.
