During and after games, senior pitcher Kelcie McGraw is used to getting compliments from her Lockport teammates.
The one she received Friday from senior teammate Rheanna Slavicek after the biggest win of her high school career, however, caught her a bit by surprise.
Slavicek pointed out that the Colgate recruit was her role model.
“Really? That’s good to hear,” McGraw said with a smile. “I’ve had little girls say it before, but it means so much to have someone on the team say it.
“I’ve been told that I’m a leader and people expect me to be a leader. But that has never been said to me.”
The role model and her apprentice both made magic for the host Porters in a 2-0 victory in 10 innings over Lincoln-Way Central in the Class 4A Lockport Sectional championship game.
McGraw scattered six hits and struck out 11 for the Porters (30-9). Slavicek came through with an RBI triple that broke a scoreless tie. McGraw added an RBI single for the second run.
Florida State recruit Lisabella Dimitrijevic struck out 15 for Lincoln-Way Central (34-2). Ellie McLaughlin and Jaimee Bolduc added two hits apiece.
Lockport will play Bradley-Bourbonnais (22-12) at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the Illinois Wesleyan Supersectional.
Friday’s game was a classic in every sense of the word. The Porters produced base runners in six innings, while the Knights had scoring chances in eight. The two staff aces shut the door time after time.
“It’s always a good battle between me and her,” McGraw said of Dimitrijevic. “It’s been like that for four years. We’ve faced her so many times that it could go either way.
“It does get you a little bit nervous, but you can’t let the nerves take over.”
Lockport broke through in the top of the 10th. Marie Baranowski led off with a sharp single to right. One out later, Slavicek came to the plate and took a 1-2 pitch to the gap in right field.
“It felt unreal,” Slavicek said. “I had a different approach from my last time at-bat. I was more loose. I didn’t overthink what could happen. I just kind of trusted my training.”
McGraw was in the hole while Slavicek raced around the bases all the way to third.
“You can always rely on her whether she’s in the outfield or at bat,” McGraw said of Slavicek. “When she hit that ball, I was thrilled. I knew we were going to win from there and move on.”
McGraw gave herself an extra cushion with two outs when she grounded a single up the middle to drive in Slavicek.
All that remained for McGraw to slay the Lincoln-Way Central giant was get through the bottom of the 10th.
It wasn’t easy.
McGraw retired the eight and nine hitters, but at the top of the order, McLaughlin kept the Knights alive with an infield single. Kayla Doerre then coaxed a walk.
That created the final storybook battle between McGraw and Dimitrijevic. First, however, Western Michigan-bound senior catcher Liliana Janeczko made a trip to the circle.
“I told Kelcie, ‘It’s me and you out here,’” Janeczko saaid. “I told her to just imagine nobody else out there. And she locked in.”
McGraw got Dimitrijevic to hit a pop fly. Senior shortstop Mikayla Cvitanovich then made a nice catch as she ran toward left field.
“That’s a team which is really hard to play,” McGraw said. “Going into this one, we said that the pressure is all on them, not us. I tried not to think too much about it last night.
“When I woke up this morning, I said, ‘OK, we’re set. We’re ready.’”
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
