Stewart stellar in semis
NIU recruit throws 1-hit shutout as L-W East edges Greene, Shepard in 4A sectional semifinal
Maybe she’ll get the ball on Friday. Maybe she won’t.
Lincoln-Way East has two exceptional pitchers who have thrived all season on splitting time in the circle.
For her part, Griffins senior right-hander Danielle Stewart has her gear shift on high and her foot on the gas.
“Oh, I’m good. I’m ready,” Stewart said. “At this point I’m just going all out. It’s my senior year, and I’m going to put all of it out there and do my best.”
The Northern Illinois recruit was aces across the board on Tuesday in East’s 2-0 victory over Shepard in a Class 4A Sandburg Sectional semifinal.
Stewart fired a one-hit shutout, striking out 13 for East (26-2). She also drove in the game’s first run. Mackenzie Gallagher added an RBI single.
Sofia Cerullo had a base hit for Shepard (27-6). Pitcher Kelly Greene struck out four and allowed just five hits.
Stewart put her signature on the game right away. After blanking Shepard in the top of the first, she hit a sacrifice fly that plated Averi Vander Woude.
“I was just trying to come out and start well for my team,” Stewart said. “In the bottom of the inning, I was just trying to put the ball in play so she could score from third base.”
Stewart let her right arm take care of the rest.
She struck out the side twice. She walked a pair, but only one Shepard base runner got as far as second.
Stewart was so dominant that her little sister Katie, a junior, didn’t have to make a play at shortstop.
“Oh, Danielle came out great,” Katie Stewart said. “She came in throwing gas, throwing strikes, keeping them off their guard. It was amazing to see.
“You can tell from shortstop that it’s moving, when it’s a good day. Her change-up was on. They didn’t know when it was coming.”
Katie Stewart, a Texas recruit, did her share of the work in the bottom of the sixth by smacking a leadoff double down the left field
line. She scored on a single to right by Gallagher.
The win kept Danielle Stewart perfect at 13-0. Her ERA dropped to 1.19.
East will play again Friday against the winner of Wednesday’s sectional semifinal game between Lincoln-Way Central and Lockport.
The pitcher? It could be Stewart. It could be junior right-hander Maddy Hickey.
Griffins coach Elizabeth Hyland has good options.
“Danielle looked amazing,” Hyland said. “Mentally she was prepared, and physically she was prepared. And a senior, she knew what she needed to do and how to get the job done.
“But Hickey is an excellent pitcher. And when Hickey pitches, Danielle is excellent in the infield. It’s been a mix-and-match, and it’s going to continue to be a mix-and-match.”
Greene finished her Shepard career with a gritty performance. The Green Bay recruit stranded five runners, twice ending innings with strikeouts.
It was an impressive performance against an offensive powerhouse.
“Coach (Kelsey) Clifford, my catcher (Marissa Lamaster) and I have been studying up on all of their hitters,” Greene said. “We obviously saw that they were absolutely stacked. My goal was just to keep them guessing and look for weak contact.
“I’m really proud of all of our girls, to come out in the playoffs and make a name for ourselves. We like to give people a good ballgame, and I think we did that here.”
Greene leaves Shepard as the all-time leader in strikeouts.
“Kelly was a gift,” Clifford said. “We’re so glad to have had her for so long and grown with her. She came out and did everything we asked of her.
“She has taken our program to new heights, and we hope to continue to do that with what we’ve created.”