SMILEY FACE
Evansville recruit Kleffman keeps cool, pitches Lockport past Lincoln-Way West
Lockport pitcher Erin Kleffman has a two-pronged approach to dealing with adversity.
One is to keep on smiling.
“I try never to get too down,” Kleffman said. “That only makes things worse.”
The other is don't get distracted.
“It's important to keep your focus,” she said. “I just try to start hitting my spots and stay positive.”
The Evansville recruit put both attributes on display in Friday's 6-5 victory over Lincoln-Way West.
Kleffman, a senior righthander, struck out five in six innings for Lockport (9-3). Alyssa Drogemuller earned the save by striking out the side in the seventh. Brooke Ligacki went 3-for-3 with two RBIs.
Molly Ryan and Sarah Taheny each hit two-run homers for Lincoln-WayWest (3-2).
Kleffman (5-2) is already halfway to her victory total from2018.
“I'm looking to be more consistent and increase in my mental game,” Kleffman said. “Even like in this game, I needed to slow down and not try to force things.”
Kleffman struggled during the early going, but a light seemingly went on after Taheny's two-run homer with two outs in the top of third put theWarriors ahead 5-2.
Over the next 3 1⁄ innings, 3 Kleffman was rock-solid, not allowing a runner past first base.
After striking out the side in the top of the sixth, Kleffman was pulled by Lockport coach Marissa Chovanec.
The biggest cheerleader on the bench for Drogemuller in the top of the seventh was Kleffman.
“She does amazing coming in and closing,” Kleffman said, smiling. “I like it when my teammates do well.”
The trickle-down effect of Kleffman's attitude is huge, according to Chovanec.
“It speaks volumes of her as a leader,” Chovanec said. “To the other kids, it's like, ‘If she's still relaxed and smiling, I can stay relaxed.' It transitions into both the offense and the defense.
“Every inning we talk about what Erin is throwing and what she needs to work on for the next inning. She's a great, coachable kid.”
Drogemuller augmented her save by reaching base in all four at-bats. She also scored the winning run on Ligacki's twoout single in the bottom of the fourth.
For Ligacki, a junior outfielder, it was the biggest day of her first full varsity season.
“It was pretty cool to finally get a big hit,” Ligacki said. “Iwas in a slump before, but now I'm getting back into it.”
Allie Wondrasek was a bright spot for West. The freshman right- hander came on with two outs in the fourth inning and retired seven of eight batters.
“She has done a goodjob working ahead of hitters and changing speeds,” Lincoln-Way West coach Heather Novak said. “We'll see where we go from here.”