Sports
Softball: Norton Fans 11; Oak Forest Tops Lemont
Oak Forest 4, Lemont 1. The Bengals didn't let a little adversity affect them as they advanced to the Class 3A sectional finals.
Touching All the Bases: Lemont came out and immediately put pressure on Oak Forest, scoring a run in the top of the first inning of the Bengals' 4-1 victory in Wednesday's Class 3A sectional softball semifinal. The Indians put their first two runners on base before Bengals pitcher Emily Norton struck out the next two for some damage control. With two outs, Lemont first baseman Carli Kavanagh hit an RBI single, scoring Erica Nagel for the game's first run.
Lemont pitcher Becka Anderson battled throughout. She never gave up a big inning, but the Bengals lineup stayed patient and chipped away. Oak Forest tied the game 1-1 in the second. Shortstop Jordan Skirha boomed a one-out double, and two batters later she was driven home by Ashley Ventrella.
The Bengals took the lead for good in the fourth. Catcher Emily Naegele opened the inning with a double to the wall. She advanced to third on a wild pitch and was driven home by pinch-hitter Hannah Prucak with what proved to be the winning run.
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The Bengals wouldn’t look back as Norton found her groove and kept Lemont's lineup off rhythm for the remainder of the game.
Patch’s MVP: Oak Forest pitcher Emily Norton. She pitched a complete game and struck out 11. At one point, Norton retired 11 consecutive batters as Oak Forest surged into the lead.
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Oak Forest Leaders: Shortstop Jordan Skirha (2-for-2, double, walk, 2 runs); catcher Emily Naegele (1-for-3, double, run).
Lemont Leaders: First baseman Carli Kavanagh (1-for-3, RBI single); pitcher Becka Anderson (4 earned runs over 7 innings, 3 strikeouts).
Quotable: Lemont coach Christine Traina on scoring the first run of the game: “I knew playing a good team like Oak Forest, it would be a battle until the end. You just have to give them credit. Norton kept us off balance. They’re just a good team all around.”
Team Records: Oak Forest is 29-4. Lemont ends 26-8.
What’s Next: Oak Forest will play the winner of Joliet Catholic-Evergreen Park in the sectional finals at 11 a.m. Saturday.
