Lancers' comeback ends West Chicago's season

Alexis Munaco answered in kind.

West Chicago junior Chrissie Rovtar staked her softball squad to an early lead with a 2-run home run in the top of the third of the Class 4A sectional final Saturday morning in Schuamburg.

But the Lancers' junior had an even greater response.

Carly Willert and Missy Mazur had back-to-back singles with one out in the Lancers' half of the third, and Munaco delivered with a lined shot of her own to give Lake Park the lead for good.

Lake Park added an insurance run without the benefit of a hit in the sixth, and Mazur stranded the tying runs in scoring position with the last of her 10 strikeouts.

The Lancers' 4-2 victory marked their fifth sectional championship in the last six years.

Lake Park (32-4), the second seed at Schaumburg, advances to face Plainfield South (26-8), which defeated Naperville Central in Bolingbrook, on Monday afternoon at Benedictine University in Lisle.

West Chicago, the fifth seed making its first appearance in a sectional final, had its season end at 24-9.

"I didn't want my season to end," Munaco said of her game-altering blast. "I wanted to hit it as hard as I could. I made sure that (a loss to Bartlett in the sectional final last year) didn't happen again."

"That flipped the pressure right back on us," said West Chicago coach Jim Schaudt, who managed his final game with the loss. "We put players on; we just couldn't bring them in."

Mazur improved to 23-4 on the season, and Lake Park extended its winning streak to 18 in the process.

The Lancers' ace stranded five West Chicago runners over the final three innings, ending the Wildcats' season with pinch-runners Danielle McAvoy and Courtney Macko on third and second, respectively.

"I have amazing trust in my catcher (Munaco)," Mazur said. "She knows exactly what pitches to call. It feels amazing to come back after that loss last year (in the sectional final)."

Both teams collected 5 hits each, but West Chicago was unable to overcome its third error of the contest.

Jamie Pumahac reached on a two-base throwing error and later beat the throw at home on an infield grounder to give Lake Park its final cushion.

Freshman Mary Connolly (23-7) suffered the loss for West Chicago.

"I was nervous the whole game," Lake Park coach Cray Allen said. "West Chicago is one of the better teams we've played this year."