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Softball: Bolingbrook ends West Aurora's season

West Aurora's softball team piled up a tremendous amount of accomplishments during the season that included an unbeaten Upstate Eight Conference record, 17 shutouts, and a 16-game winning streak.

In the end, however, the second-seeded Blackhawks (27-4) were unable to muster enough offense of their own during Saturday's 3-0 Class 4A regional championship loss to 10th-seeded Bolingbrook (19-13) in Batavia.

Junior pitcher Lorrin Pondo (17-11) tossed a 1-hit complete game as the Raiders earned their second regional title in three years and advanced to Wednesday's Plainfield East sectional semifinals against seventh-seeded Oswego East.

"This is Lorrin's first year of being the main starter on the mound," said Raiders coach Jean Ryan-Moak. "She sat behind Megan Lotarski, who was a 3-year starter now playing at Western Illinois, so it was her time to shine. I'm so proud of her."

Pondo mixed speeds effectively throughout, striking out 4 while walking 1.

"Throughout the regional, her changeup is what got it done for us," said Ryan-Moak. "She's a quicker pitcher - quicker off the draw so the changeup is what throws off batters because they can't see when it's coming."

"I was throwing a screwball a lot as well as a changeup," said Pondo. "That's how I was jamming them."

Bolingbrook grabbed a 1-0 in the second on junior Nicole Bond's RBI single that drove in her freshman sister Natalie, who led off the inning with an opposite-field double.

"All season, we've struggled with scoring early so it was huge to get that run against a team like West Aurora," said Ryan-Moak.

Bolingbrook extended its lead to 2-0 with an unearned run in the sixth and added an insurance tally in the seventh on Gianna Esposito's 2-out triple and Nia Fowlkes' RBI single.

West Aurora, which had just 3 baserunners all day, didn't collect its first base hit until the sixth when Hannah Beatus lined a 2-out double to right-center.

"We didn't get enough runners on to put pressure on them," said Blackhawks coach Randy Hayslett. "She (Pondo) hit her spots today and kept us off-balance. It was one of those days where we didn't square up the ball as much as they did.

"I wasn't too worried (being) down until it got to the fifth or sixth inning. We just couldn't get anything going."

Beatus (14-4) gave up 5 hits, walked 1 and struck out 10 while suffering the loss for the Blackhawks.

"I wouldn't say it was a bad game but it wasn't one of our best," said school all-time home run and RBI leader Cara Jimenez, one of six seniors playing their final high school game.

"It's a very tough way to end the season," said Hayslett. "It's very disappointing. You want the girls to be happy with what they accomplished certainly but we definitely thought we would go further.

"It wasn't our day. There were so many days for us as a team this whole year but today wasn't one of them. The bottom line is if you can't score, you can't win."

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