Sectional titles are not supposed to come easy and Beecher softball’s 12th certainly did not.
The Bobcats nipped Seneca 1-0 on May 30 to win the Class 2A Seneca Sectional.
Colgate recruit Taylor Norkus fired the shutout, allowing one hit. Florida State commit Ava Lorenzatti’s third-inning solo home run accounted for all the scoring to help the Bobcats earn their third straight sectional title.
While most people thought Lorenzatti was going to get the start in the circle, Bobcats coach Kevin Hayhurst let Norkus know an hour before the game that she was going to pitch.
“We have two outstanding pitchers,” Hayhurst said. “I just thought that Taylor’s changeup was not a pitch that (the Irish) were looking at when they were preparing for us.
“They were preparing for our rise-ball pitcher. Taylor got through each inning really well, only giving up that one hit.”
The Bobcats improved to 34-2 and were scheduled to face 33-3 Brimfield on June 2 in the EastSide Centre Supersectional is East Peoria. Seneca entered its game with the Bobcats with a 34-1 record.
Just to get to the championship was a wild ride for the Bobcats.
Beecher trailed 5-3 at one point but rallied for a 7-5 sectional semifinal victory over Herscher. Lilliana Irwin’s single with two outs in the bottom of the fifth put the Bobcats ahead and they hung on from there.
Hayhurst has coached various sports since the 1990s and said he tries to maintain a calm demeanor. But he admits his “stomach is churning during these games.”
But in the end, it is the Bobcats who usually give opponents upset stomachs after games.
The Bobcats have enjoyed so much success over the years that they are usually the targets and Hayhurst is good with that.
“Usually that means our opponents are circling the date on their calendars and come out and give us their best effort,” he said. “That makes us better.”
Manteno baseball eliminated
Manteno’s baseball team’s season ended on May 29 with a 5-1 setback to Bishop McNamara in the Class 2A Beecher Sectional semifinals.
The Irish broke open a close game with a four-run fifth inning against the Panthers (21-8).
Quinn Borden scored on a groundout for Manteno’s lone run.
Base thieves for Warriors
Crete-Monee senior baseball star Bren Milburn finished the season with a state-record 93 stolen bases.
Milburn was also named the Southland Conference Player of the Year as well as the league Pitcher of the Year.
But he is not the only base thief in the school.
Taleeana Ramirez’s 112 career stolen bases in softball puts her No. 1 in program history as a junior.