Lincoln-Way Central's Courtney Dunker had the bat taken out of her hands during the sixth inning of Thursday's Class 4A Andrew Sectional semifinal against Stagg when she was walked on four very wide pitches.
By then, however, it didn't really matter. She had already taken the game out of Stagg's. The senior right fielder had what can only be called a dream day in Lincoln-Way Central's 6-2 victory.
In the first inning, she caught a fly ball, then threw a Stagg runner out at the plate.
In the third inning, she whacked a three-run home run well over the fence in left.
In the fifth inning, she launched another towering drive to almost the same location for a solo homer.
The way things were going, who knows what might have happened if she'd reached out and taken a poke at one of the unintentional/intentional offerings in the sixth?
"I wanted to, for fun," Dunker said, smiling. "But I didn't."
She'll have her chances at 10 a.m. Saturday, when Lincoln-Way Central (29-9) is to meet Marist (27-10) for the sectional title.
Stagg's season ended at 26-8.
Dunker was the biggest hero but certainly not the only one for the Knights.
Cassie Redman reached all four times out of the leadoff spot with two singles, a double and a walk. Amanda Rafferty contributed a triple and a single, while pitcher Jackie Dugan went the distance, striking out four.
"We had a real close game the first time we played (a 3-2 win)," Redman said. "(Stagg) is a really good team. We just had a great team effort today. Everyone kept their heads up and their bats going."
Before the bats, it was Dunker's arm that provided a spark for the Knights in the top of the first. With one out, Kayla Green rapped a double to left, and Julie Sherman moved her to third with a single.
Jackie Roth followed with a drive down the right-field line. Dunker ran the ball down, made the catch and let go a throw that reached catcher Brittanie Boerema on the fly. Boerema tagged out a sliding Green.
It was one of three big defensive plays by the Knights that included a sprawling grab of a line drive by second baseman Gabe Gavoni and a diving catch on a fly ball by center fielder Desi DeMarco.
The Knights broke through offensively against Stagg starter Tricia Klutcharch in the bottom of the third, when Rafferty led off with a triple and came in on an infield hit by Redman. Rachel Larson walked, and one out later, Dunker went deep.
"You just knew it was gone," said Redman, who had a bird's-eye view from second base. "It was a rocket, a shot. Crazy."
Redman's RBI double in the fourth drove in Dugan (walk) to make it 5-0. Stagg got to within 5-2 in the fifth on a two-run double by Green, but any momentum it built was stunted in the bottom of the fifth when Dunker smashed another homer, this one off relief pitcher Ashley Yaros.
It was quite a power display by a kid who earlier in the season saw her power diminished during a nearly two-week bout with mononucleosis.
"When I came back, it took me probably a week or so to get my confidence back and get back hitting," Dunker said.
She was all-powerful against Stagg.
"The first one, I really felt it. I'm not gonna lie," Dunker said. "The second one, I felt it, but not as huge as the first one. It was just so exciting to get our team the runs and be on top."
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