Softball: St. Edward will meet Lisle for 2A sectional title

Westmont won all of 4 games during the regular season.

But the Sentinels made an improbable postseason run in advancing to the Class 2A Lisle softball sectional semifinals.

St. Edward, however, ended the Sentinels' Cinderella run behind ace pitcher Lindsay Zdroik.

The Valparaiso-bound senior fanned the side three times en route to a complete-game 2-hitter that ended with 16 Westmont players making right-hand turns to the dugout.

With its 4-2 victory Thursday at Benedictine University in Lisle, St. Edward will seek its first sectional championship in eight years Saturday morning. Lisle, which defeated IC Catholic Prep 7-2 in the opener, is the Green Wave opponent.

There is a mutual admiration society between St. Edward battery mates Zdroik and catcher Allie Stratman.

"(Zdroik) makes my job so much easier," Stratman said of her fellow senior and Elgin resident. "She is really fast and always hits her spots. Her riseball was killing a lot of them."

The Sentinels' Caitlyn Ashraft and Ashley Eiermann had back-to-back singles to begin the Westmont fourth inning.

Zdroik quickly calmed the storm with three easy outs.

"Allie is really good at calling pitches," Zdroik said. "I am always so thankful for her; she always knows what to call."

The game started off with enough gifts - on both sides - to stock a charity auction.

St. Edward (23-8), the top seed, struck three times in the top of the first.

Wild pitches cost the Sentinels 4 bases; walks did not help matters.

Stratman had a no-out sacrifice fly with runners at the corner to score the first run.

Jessy Kramp scored moments later when a Westmont outfielder booted a Zdroik single to center.

The final run scored on the softball equivalent of a baseball balk as pinch-runner Katelyn Davidson waltzed home after a bases-loaded illegal pitch by the Westmont starter.

But the Wave was equally generous in the Sentinels' half of their first. A leadoff walk and ensuing 3-base throwing error on a sacrifice bunt essentially produced both Westmont runs.

"It wasn't our best game (defensively), but I knew we would pull through," Zdroik said.

Kiera Aldridge also settled down for Westmont after the first inning.

St. Edward, which finished with only 5 hits, was looking for the ever-important insurance run as the two starting pitchers gained command.

Freshman Sarah Mendoza supplied it with one swing of the bat to lead off the Wave fourth inning.

Splitting the Sentinels' left and center fielder with an arching drive, Mendoza was determined to stretch the extra-base hit into a triple.

"I didn't know if I could make it," Mendoza said.

Mendoza completed the scoring when the relay attempt sailed into the Wave dugout.