Softball: Pociejewski connects for Maine West in suspended game

Maine West senior slugger Kayla Pociejewski, who belted a team-high 10 home runs last spring, got her first this season on Wednesday.

The clean-up hitter's two-out, 2-run first-inning blast over the center field fence at the Resurrection High School softball diamond in Chicago gave the visiting Warriors a quick 2-0 lead.

However, the host Bandits (4-0) answered with 6 runs in the bottom of the first and ended up leading 7-3 when the game was suspended after four innings due to sticky infield conditions and a nonstop drizzle from the get-go.

Not to mention temperatures that hovered in the low 40s.

“It was tough,” said Warriors senior center fielder Monica Liwag. “It was hard putting the batting glove over your hands. After hitting, it was hard to move your hands.”

Pitcher Allison Eby said it was difficult to keep her hands dry.

“Really hard,” said the sophomore, who pitched the Warriors (1-2) to their first win, 5-3 over Lake Zurich last week at Barrington's Spring Fling. “I wanted to keep switching the balls.”

The score switched from 2-0 to 6-2 in the bottom of the first as the host sent 11 batters to the plate.

Resurrection started with three straight hits from sophomore Joanna Cirrincione, sophomore Madison Van Horn (double) and junior pitcher Tara Nikolich, who was making her first start of the season.

“They're good,” Liwag said of the undefeated Bandits. “They've got some batters who can hit it to the gaps. But we stayed in the game and we had everyone contribute.”

Six different Warriors reached base, including junior Nora Mcdonald, sophomore Allison Pearson (double), fresman Maren Garnett, sophomore Katelyn Aragon and senior Nicole Byerly (double).

Pearson went 2-for-3 with a RBI.

Cirrincione was 2-for-2 with a sacrifice fly while senior Angelina Ingratta and freshman Christina Gratta each doubled for the Bandits.

“We're a young team and feisty,” said third-year Resurrection coach Fred Angelini. “I'm glad we were able to get some innings plated in the tough conditions.”