Minooka avoids the classic trap

Updated: April 22, 2011 2:04PM

Beware of the trap game.

That could have easily been the message for Minooka softball coach Mark Brown to his Indians before their game with Southwest Prairie Conference rival Plainfield South. Sandwiched between earlier-week victories over Marist and Plainfield Central and before this weekend's prom, the Indians shook off an early 2-0 deficit to score eleven unanswered runs en route to an 11-2 victory Thursday afternoon.

Minooka (10-4, 4-0) totaled 16 hits as every starter had at least one hit. Jackie Lilek (3 RBIs), Taylor Edwards (2 RBIs) and Katie Chitkowski (RBI) each had three hits for the Indians, while Lindsey Fenner (2-for-4, HR, 3 RBIs) and Mikayla Melone (1-for-4, HR, RBI) did the damage via the long ball.

"We talked about a letdown and that's not to take anything away from South," Brown said. "With the big wins that we got on Monday and Tuesday and with Andrew coming up on Monday and prom this weekend, we didn't want them thinking about anything else but this game and I think we did a good job of that."

Plainfield South (2-7, 0-4) got to starting Minooka pitcher Payton Laczynski (7 IP, 1 ER, 6 K, 4 BB) in the first, scoring an unearned run followed by an RBI ground out by sophomore catcher Kayla Mendell but couldn't add on and managed only one more hit.

"I think that we have been coming out flat early, especially in these conference games," Laczynski said. "We feel that we have a pretty strong lineup from one through nine and including our bench and I think that showed today."

Melone hit her solo shot in the second inning to trim the Cougars' lead to one. The Indians followed that with six consecutive hits in the fourth, highlighted by Fenner's three-run blast that put Minooka on top 6-2.

"I was shocked because the wind was blowing straight in and we popped two homers out and almost had two or three more," Brown said. "We were hitting and even with the wind blowing straight in, it was coming off of our bats pretty solid. We have just been hitting all week."

Minooka tacked on two more in the fifth and three more runs in the sixth to put the game out of reach.

"The three-run homer was critical for them as it seemed to take the wind out of our sails," Plainfield South coach Tara Singler said. "Jumping on them early like we did is good for us but we just didn't bring our bats."

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