Rough start, strong finish for Ericson, Lisle

It's not every day where you can give up a first-inning grand slam, still lead after an inning and go on and have a great day.

That's exactly what Lisle's Melissa Ericson did on Wednesday. The Lions junior hit the first Timothy Christian batter of the game, walked two more and then fell behind 4-0 after Trojans third baseman Hope Zastrow cleared the bases with a shot over the wall in left center.

But Ericson did not allow another hit in the Lions' 12-4 nonconference win, and her 2-run single in the bottom of the first helped the hosts score seven times while sending 12 batters to the plate off a pair of Trojans pitchers.

"I felt like everyone's bats came around and that's what we needed," said Ericson, who went 3-for-3 at the plate with a walk and 5 RBI. "I was a little worried (down 4-0), but I knew we could hit well."

While Ericson and her teammates rebounded quite well after a rough half an inning, a young Timothy Christian squad (4-14) suffered through a second tough game in two days. After pitcher Emily Giffore threw a lot of pitches in the loss to Chicago Christian on Tuesday, Trojans coach Aaron Moore turned to first baseman Caitlyn Gehrke to try and eat up some innings at Lisle.

But after 6 walks and 4 hits allowed - including a 2-run homer by Lisle shortstop Anna Palicka - Giffore entered the game with one out in the bottom of the first and Lisle on top 7-4.

"We started good, but we have to hit the ball better," said Moore, whose squad also had just 1 hit Tuesday. "We need to walk less, make one play on defense and get more than one hit. The simple parts of the game."

Giffore was solid in relief, going the final 5⅔ innings and allowing 5 runs, just 3 of which were earned. But she was hurt by Ericson, who had a 2-run double down the line in a 4-run second inning, then tripled over the left fielder's head in the fourth inning to bring home Julia Ulmann.

"That was a lot of fun," said Ericson, who notched her second win of the spring for the 3-13 Lions. "That's the first time I had 5 RBI. We were really happy with how it went today."

Lisle coach Jen Pomatto was glad to see Ericson and the team bounce back from the shaky start. She also liked the way her pitcher worked through the Trojans lineup even without her best stuff on the mound.

"That's what I talked about when they got back in the dugout…we're fighting for four but we want more," Pomatto said. "I told them we want to come out ahead in this inning and that's exactly what we did."

Ericson, meanwhile, allowed just one hit in seven innings while striking out eight, but did walk five batters.

"She didn't have it all today. She found a way to make it work and that's all you can ask for from your pitcher," Pomatto said. "Some days it's just not going to all be there and you just have to work through it."