EAST PEORIA, Ill. – Lincoln-Way East met its ultimate challenge in Saturday’s Class 4A state title game at EastSide Centre.
Defending champion Oak Park-River Forest brought in plenty of clout and a pitcher who struck out two batters per inning.
The Huskies won, 1-0. Across the board, though, the Griffins were more than up to the challenge.
Senior second baseman Riley Lang made two highlight-reel catches and turned them into double plays.
Senior right fielder Sidney Bloomfield slid several feet to make a circus catch.
Senior catcher Christine Malito became one would-be base stealer’s nightmare.
And junior pitcher Alex Storako?
She was brilliant. Perhaps more brilliant than in any game the DePaul recruit has pitched in an overall brilliant season.
The Griffins (30-4) now have two second-place trophies to go along with a fourth, and a first — the latter achieved in 2002, the first year of the program.
Storako was stoic about the one pitch that left the ballpark. Oak Park senior catcher Mariah Scott hit it for a two-out home run in the top of the seventh.
“I missed my spot and she capitalized,” Storako said. “It was a great game.”
That, it undisputedly was.
Storako (22-3) allowed just three hits while striking out 11. She also contributed a single, reaching base two times.
She was bested by Oak Park (37-1) and pitcher Chardonnay Harris, who allowed one hit while striking out 16.
And, of course, Scott, whose state title-winning home run was her second of the season.
Griffins coach Elizabeth Pawlicki painted Storako a winner, anyway.
“Alex pitched her heart out,” Pawlicki said. “She has a co-dependent relationship with her defense. She depends on them and they depend on her. And you’d have to say that our defense was stellar.”
Incredibly so, at times.
In the top of the first inning, Oak Park had a runner on first with one out when Lang ran into right field to chase a pop fly. She made an over-the-shoulder catch, whirled and fired to Lauren Hunter at first for the double play.
That was just a warmup. In the fourth, Lang made a helter-skelter run into left field to snag a sinking blooper, slam on the brakes and fire a dart to Hunter for another double up.
“None of us really called for it,” Lang said with a laugh about the second play. “I heard Alli Jaquith say Ami (Ill). But I knew she was too far back in center.
“I don’t think I’ve ever made a play quite like that. It was a good time for it.”
The top of the seventh started with some good fortune. Maeve Nelson was on first for Oak Park with one out when Scott missed a hit-and-run sign. Malito pegged Nelson out at second.
Scott didn’t miss on Storako’s 2-2 pitch, however, driving it well up the grass hill in center.
East went down kicking in the bottom of the inning when, with one out, Ill worked Harris for a walk. Malito was next, and just missed squaring up on a pitch. She popped out to deep short.
Harris struck out the final batter to end a Griffins season that saw Storako transfer in and several players come over from Lincoln-Way North.
“This was a team that had to come together,” Pawlicki said. “They meshed so well. They leaned on each other for support. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
Twitter @tbaranek
