Lincoln-Way East escapes Bolingbrook

Updated: April 22, 2011 2:06PM

Jenny Gray read the play and went with complete abandon.

The Lincoln-Way East junior left fielder scored from second on a Bolingbrook throwing error that enabled the No. 3 Griffins to escape the Raiders' upset bid 6-5 in the teams' SouthWest Suburban Blue opener Thursday in Frankfort.

The dramatic conclusion capped a topsy-turvy affair that saw the Griffins in very strange, even alien territory.

Star junior pitcher Kaycee Hart was roughed up during a difficult third inning. She lasted just 2 2/3 innings for the Griffins as the Raiders (3-6, 0-1) sent 10 hitters to the plate, scoring four runs on four hits. Bolingbrook also took advantage of two walks and a throwing error for the early lead.

Ashley DeLuca's run-scoring single pushed the Raiders' lead to 3-0 and chased Hart. Freshman reliever Sarah Esposito promptly surrendered an RBI single to Becky Cronk. She enticed a comeback to the mound to escape any further damage.

"We haven't been down like that, by four runs, the whole year," sophomore shortstop Jorgi Calombaris said. "We knew we couldn't panic, that we had to get back into the game one run at a time."

After their sluggish start, the Griffins (10-0, 1-0) finally got untracked offensively in the bottom of the fifth inning. Down 4-1 to the start the frame, Lincoln-Way East culled together five hits and utilized a Bolingbrook error for a four-run uprising.

Gray added a run-scoring single. Senior designated hitter Aubrey DeGroot (2-for-4) delivered the key blow by lacing a shot down the left field line for a run-scoring double that knotted the score. "I was just trying to get the ball down," DeGroot said.

"The wind and conditions made it very hard out there. The wind would blow the dust and your eyes would start to water up. Fortunately I was able to make contact," she said.

Senior centerfielder Jill Reid (3-for-4) smashed a single into right field that scored DeGroot for the 5-4 Griffins' advantage. Bolingbrook sophomore Nikki Wood forged the final tie by drilling a run-scoring double into left center with two outs in the top of the sixth.

Esposito ran her record to 2-0, striking out five and surrendering two runs on three hits in 4 1/3 innings. "The longer the game went, the more comfortable I got, and I think I got stronger as the game wore on," she said.

Esposito ended the seventh inning with consecutive strikeouts after the Raiders put runners at first and second with one out.

In the bottom of the seventh, Gray's hustle avoided a potential double play when her sharply hit ball to short forced Calombaris out at second. Gray advanced to second on Kaley Jendraszak's single into centerfield.

A throwing error on DeGroot's groundball ended the game.

Bolingbrook coach Jean Ryan-Moak was disheartened by the manner her team lost though pleased by the Raiders' resilience. "I was very happy with our hitting, because (Hart) is probably the fastest throwing pitcher we've faced the whole year," Ryan-Moak said.

"We've really struggled with our bats, and that's one of the reasons we're 3-6. I was not happy with our fielding, especially in the fourth inning. We lost the game on an error. Sometimes you can't avoid that."

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