Montini's Trojnar gets the job done again

Lauren Trojnar doesn't blow fastballs by everyone and dominate softball teams. All she does is beat them.

The Montini senior was back on the mound Friday afternoon at Glenbard South, and all she did was hold the Raiders to 4 hits in a 7-2 Broncos win. Trojnar has pitched on the varsity squad for four years now. After going 20-6 last spring, Friday's win has her sitting at 13-2 this year.

"Lauren pitched a great game," Glenbard South coach Julie Fonda said after her team fell to 12-5 with the loss. "She doesn't have a ton of speed, but she hits her spots like a queen. She has so much control and they did a nice job calling the game against us."

With Trojnar - who had 5 strikeouts and just one walk - on top of her game, the host Raiders needed to be at their best to beat the Broncos (17-3), and on Friday they were not.

Montini scored twice in the first inning without a base hit and led 4-1 after tallying a run in the fourth that was aided by the Raiders' third of four errors in the game. The Broncos, meanwhile, were flawless in the field and steady on offense while adding to the lead throughout the contest.

Leadoff hitter Bell Alexander set the table for the visitors' attack, reaching on a hit, a walk and an error and scoring three times.

"We work hard through hitting drills and it helps a lot when we get in the batter's box," said Alexander, a speedy center fielder who walked and stole a base before scoring the first run of the game in the first inning. "Being a leadoff you need to be smart and get on base."

After singling in the second, Alexander was off and running and scored on a single by Amy Bukovsky after she slid under the tag on a close plate at the plate. Montini also had an RBI double from Alyssa Sclafani and 2 hits and an RBI from Trojnar, who batted in the No. 9 spot.

But the story was more about Trojnar's accuracy. The right-handed pitcher put the ball where she wanted it, and the end result was yet another win.

"I had a tough lineup to deal with, but I had a good defense behind me. It was a good game. I'd say I hit my spots," said Trojnar, who will focus on nursing and playing the outfield next year at Clarke University. "Especially against a good team, I have to make sure I hit my spots."

When asked if she might be closing in on the school record for wins, she replied, "Maybe. Every year's been fun. I'm sad I'm graduating."

For the Raiders, Taylor Carli had a bloop double in the second. After getting bunted to third, she scored on the front end of a double steal with a hook slide to avoid the tag at the plate. Their second run came in the fourth when Ashley Cohen hit one of the few hard balls off Trojnar for a double and later scored on a wild pitch.

"The score tells the tale, but we definitely had some untimely errors," Fonda said. "It's an unfortunate loss for us, but I think it's definitely a learning experience."