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Lockport shuts out Marian Catholic
Updated: May 28, 2011 7:37PM
Beating Marian Catholic 7-0 on Saturday at Providence was all about winning a Class 4A regional title for everyone in a Lockport uniform.
For Porters junior Taylor Weissenhofer, it also was about taking care of unfinished business.
On April 28, Weissenhofer threw six shutout innings against Marian Catholic only to be pulled before the seventh inning started. Marian rallied for two runs in the seventh to prevail 2-1.
Saturday, Weissenhofer was given the ball again and this time she was able to seal the deal. She blanked the Spartans on just four hits, striking out 11 while walking none.
On offense, Allie Phad (3-for-4, 3 RBI) and Tierney Bottino (2-for-4) led the way for the Porters (26-10-1), who advance to Wednesday’s Class 4A Lockport Sectional semifinal against Sandburg (26-6).
Weissenhofer’s exit the first time Lockport and Marian played had nothing to do with how she was pitching.
“Those were those six games of seven that we lost,” Lockport coach Marissa Chovanec said. “We were trying to do something to help us get out of it. We had said that we were going to make a change (in pitchers before the end) no matter what.”
Weissenhofer was told shortly before Saturday’s game that she was going to get the start.
“I was a little bit nervous,” she said, “but I did what I needed to do.”
And then some.
After surrendering a leadoff single to Rebecca Gray in the bottom of the first, Weissenhofer struck out the next five batters. The Spartans didn’t produce another hit until Rachel Glenn led off the bottom of the fifth with a single.
The Porters, meanwhile, produced at least one baserunner in every inning. They scored one run in the first when Sam DeMasi singled and eventually came in on an overthrow as she was trying to steal third.
The hardest-hit ball of the day came off the bat of Porters senior Phad, who after a single by Melissa Stoch lined an RBI double to dead-center field. Ashley London also contributed an RBI single during the two-run fifth that made it 3-0. Phad added a two-run single in a three-run sixth, while Bottino skied an RBI triple to the fence in left field in the seventh.
“I just tried to relax and not think up there,” Phad said of her big day. “The last time we played them we were having bad times and in a slump and it was bad weather, but we were definitely ready to come out and play today.”
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