Lincoln-Way West catcher Abbie Gregus is pretty proficient at picking up on the moods of pitcher Allie Wondrasek.
She should be. The two seniors have worked together as a battery since they were 14 years old.
When Allie is edgy?
“If there’s a certain call we don’t like, she kind of looks at me like, ‘Come on,'” Gregus said. “We fix it right away.”
When she is ready to deal?
“She’s just so relaxed,” said Gregus, a Loyola commit. “You can tell she’s actually having fun out there. I love catching for Allie. It’s the most fun thing ever.”
The Lewis recruit was dealing aces Tuesday afternoon in a 3-0 SouthWest Suburban Conference crossover victory over Sandburg.
Wondrasek finished with 16 strikeouts and a two-hit shutout for Lincoln-Way West (5-0). Peyton Cusack and Molly Marquardt added RBI hits.
Charlotte Trunk doubled and Karli Fegan singled for Sandburg (2-2-1).
Truth be told, Wondrasek wasn’t entirely relaxed before the game.
“I didn’t have the best warm-up,” Wondrasek said. “I came in a little worried if it was going to be working out.”
That feeling didn’t last long, though. Wondrasek struck out the first four batters she faced. She retired the first 16.
The Eagles produced their first hit on a swinging bunt by Fegan that dribbled down the third base line.
Trunk put a healthy bat on a pitch from Wondrasek in the top of the seventh, smashing a double off the fence in left field.
Otherwise, Wondrasek was brilliant, using a mix of pitches. Her riseball had Sandburg hitters swinging and missing all day.
“It has been working this year,” Wondrasek said. “It wasn’t very much last year. I threw my curve and my change-up for the most part, but my rise has been working very well this season.”
Wondrasek improved to 4-0 with 54 strikeouts in 30 innings. She has allowed just one earned run.
That performance is pretty much in line with her 2021 season, when the right-hander had 12 wins with 179 strikeouts in 139 innings and a 1.61 ERA.
The mood for Lincoln-Way West coach Heather Novak is the same every time she sends Wondrasek out to the circle.
Total confidence.
“Allie has been great out there,” Novak said. “She’s just such a competitor. She sure is fun to watch.
“Throughout her four years, she has continued to develop as a pitcher and work on her pitches. We’ve enjoyed working with her and we’re excited to see where her ceiling takes her.”
The game-winning hit was produced by Cusack. Her RBI double to left field with two outs in the bottom of the fourth scored Wondrasek, who had walked.
Cusack struck out in her first at-bat but reached base on a dropped third strike.
“My first time up wasn’t what I expected,” Cusack said. “But the second time, after seeing their pitcher, I got used to her speed and the pitches she was throwing.”
Cusack, a sophomore outfielder, played on the sophomore team in 2021 but practiced with the varsity.
“I love being up this season on the varsity,” Cusack said. “It’s an honor to play with these seniors during their last year. And we’ve been doing great so far.”
Cusack is one of five sophomores in the starting lineup for the Warriors.
“We definitely have some youth on this team,” Novak said. “Just in the first five games, they’ve shown some toughness. We’re excited to see them get better from here.
“Peyton has a solid knowledge of the game. She can play the outfield and the infield. She has multiple tools in the box to be a tough out at the plate.”
