Big or small, Montini can hit the ball
Montini softball coach Mike Bukovsky said the Broncos played "small ball" during the second inning Tuesday against visiting Wheaton Warrenville South, and that helped the Broncos jump out to a 3-0 lead.
Then Montini played large ball, or rather enormous ball, as the team racked up 11 runs on 12 hits during the third and fourth innings en route to a 14-0 victory in five innings over the Tigers.
The victory was a boost to the Broncos (12-3) after a tough weekend that saw them lose two 1-run games. They fell 2-1 to St. Francis on Friday and lost to Downers Grove North 8-7 the following day.
"It was a tough weekend, and today was about bouncing back and getting back to what we did earlier in the year and that happened," Bukovsky said. "Our season-long focus is on the process of getting better. That (WW South) is a team we respect. They beat us last year."
Seven Montini hitters had at least 2 hits apiece. Center fielder Bell Alexander and left fielder Emily Lezcano belted 3 hits each. Alexander finished with 3 RBI, including a 2-run single to left during the 8-run fourth inning. Lezcano's double to right in the fourth scored a run.
Other 2-run hits came from second baseman Morganne Evans with a single in the third and Nicole Cuchran's single to left the following inning.
The winning pitcher was senior Lauren Trojnar. She worked 4 innings, allowing just 1 hit and striking out 6. She struck out the side in the second inning. Naomi Alonzo came on in the fifth inning to finish up and struck out 2.
"We had a reality check from the losses. Today we gave it our all and got our bounce back," Trojnar said. "Having the team behind you (with a big lead) is obviously good to have. You can take (the game) at your own pace."
WW South (5-9-1) was held to just 2 hits. Sydney Young took the first pitch of the game to left for a double. Jenni Mindock singled to center in the fifth.
It's been a tough start to the week for the Tigers. The team was edged by cross-town rival Wheaton North 8-7 on Monday.
"We got flat out beat. We didn't make plays defensively and didn't have good approaches at the plate hitting," said WW South coach Jeff Pawlak.
Montini is at Rosary on Tuesday, and the Tigers play host to Lake Park. Both games begin at 4:30 p.m.