Sophomore infielder Allie Johnson had extra incentive to drive in the runner for Beecher. Her older sister, Makenzie, was standing on third base, primed and ready to scamper home.
And it’s not because Allie wouldn’t hear the end of it.
“I knew I had to deliver there because it was my sister, it’s her senior night, and I needed to make it special,” Allie said afterward. ”We’re great together, and I love my sister.”
That love showed up in spades Tuesday for the host Bobcats.
Allie Johnson went 2-for-2 and drove in two runs, helping to lead the way for the defending Class 2A state champions in a 7-1 nonconference victory over Lincoln-Way Central.
Makenzie Johnson, a senior outfielder and Northern Illinois recruit, finished 4-for-4 and scored four runs for Beecher (26-0), which extended its winning streak to 35 straight. She broke the game open with a three-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Senior pitcher Taylor Norkus (18-0), a Colgate recruit, struck out 10 and scattered three hits and a walk for Beecher. Junior designated hitter Jenna Lee had an RBI double for the Knights (5-26).
Allie Johnson, meanwhile, hit .375 with four doubles last season as the only freshman who saw significant playing time as the Bobcats won the state title.
“She’s stepped up quite a bit,” Beecher coach Kevin Hayhurst said. “She had a good offseason and she’s learned how to look for certain pitches and certain counts.
“She’s hitting the ball all over the park — that’s what makes her so good.”
Makenzie Johnson, the oldest of four sisters, pointed out the personalities are radically different.
“We’re completely opposite,” she said. “Allie is very outgoing and I’m very much to myself. Even on the bus, I’m there in complete silence and she’s talking to everybody.
“My first memory is my third year of rec league and her first year and we would fight all the time. Honestly, she’s one of my best friends, one of my supporters of everything and I’m very grateful.”
Significantly, Makenzie scored both of the runs that Allie drove in Tuesday. Allie ripped an RBI single in the first inning and brought her sister home with a sacrifice fly in the third.
“It’s great that she always has my back if I get on base,” Makenzie said. “I know she’s always going to step up to the challenge and try to get me along.”
The personal circumstances only deepened the satisfaction for Allie.
“Growing up around her just made me want to be as good as her or even better,” Allie said. “She set a great example for me to push myself and put in the time practicing and training.”
Allie Johnson also plays center for Beecher in basketball. At nearly 5-foot-11, she towers over her older sister.
This spring, Allie is hitting .382 with 29 hits and 25 RBIs and has struck out 43 in 25 1/3 innings as a reliever.
The game runs deep in the game. Their mother, Crystal, powered T.F. South to the best record in program history and a Class AA sectional final appearance in 1998.
T.F. South lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to eventual state champion Thornwood. Hayhurst was the pitching coach for Thornwood.
Hayhurst also coached Eddy Curry and 2000-2001 boys basketball team for the Thunderbirds to the Class AA state championship game.
Beecher’s state title last year was the fifth in the softball program’s history, and Allie Johnson takes great pride in being a part of that process.
“It feels amazing to be a part of this incredible program,” she said. “I’m a very competitive person, I want to do it for the team and I just focus on what I need to work on.
“I’m there for my team for every play.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
