Lincoln-Way Central gets through gauntlet to stay in top spot, while red-hot Lemont joins rankings.
Top 10
With records through Monday and previous rankings in parentheses.
1. Lincoln-Way Central 23-1 (1)
Lisabella Dimitrijevic hits three-run homer in eighth inning to beat Lincoln-Way West 7-6.
2. Marist 24-1 (2)
Mary Fortner hits .583 for the week with three home runs to spark the RedHawks.
3. Lockport 20-9 (6)
Marcy Curry makes most of batting chances with four doubles, 10 RBIs and .450 average.
4. Lincoln-Way East (3)
Griffins hit bump in the road, but Zoey Bullock and Maddie Henry still swing hot bats.
5. Beecher 28-1 (4)
Bobcats face big test Tuesday against Class 4A powerhouse Lincoln-Way Central.
6. Andrew 17-8 (7)
Bella Pauls produces career week with 13 strikeouts and three wins.
7. Lincoln-Way West 19-9 (8)
Paige Seivert goes 5-for-10 with a double and a homer to lead the Warriors.
8. St. Laurence 16-5 (9)
Breanna Cahue notches her 200th career strikeout for Vikings.
9. Shepard 22-6 (5)
Astros fall from unbeaten ranks in South Suburban Red with 5-2 loss to Richards.
10. Lemont 20-7 (NR)
Six-game winning streak primes Lemont for conference and postseason runs.
Player of the Week
Senior infielder Natalie Pacyga went 5-for-7 with four RBIs as Lemont sweeps past Edwardsville and the host Indians in the Pontiac Round Robin.
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.