Senior left fielder Rheanna Slavicek is pretty reliable on defense for Lockport.
Just ask her teammate, Colgate-bound senior pitcher Kelcie McGraw.
“Anything hit to left field, I know it’s going to get caught,” McGraw said of Slavicek.
But there was one “uh-oh” moment Friday during host Lockport’s 4-1 SouthWest Suburban Conference win over Lincoln-Way West. Even Slavicek wasn’t 100% sure she could catch up to an important fly ball.
A dust storm was on the horizon, creating an scene. The wind and dust already had been prevalent throughout the game, but it was getting more intense in the seventh inning.
With two on and two out, potential tying run Reese Cusack lofted a fly ball to left for the Warriors.
Let the fun begin.
“It was very hard to gauge,” Slavicek said. “I thought it was going over one way and then it tailed in another way. It was pretty tricky.”
Still, she nabbed it and the Porters celebrated.
Slavicek, an Olivet Nazarene recruit, closed the game with a tricky catch and opened things up with a home run before adding two singles to lead Lockport (21-9, 10-4).
McGraw (12-6) pitched the win and struck out six in 6 1/3 innings, bringing her up to 190 for the season. Taylor Lane boosted her team-high batting average to .443 with two hits and two RBIs.
The one bad thing that did happen for the Porters came in the fifth inning when senior shortstop Mikayla Cvitanovich left the game after getting hit in the face on a bad hop.
Slavicek, meanwhile, hasn’t made a habit of hitting a home run to lead off things. But she did accomplish that feat one other time this spring.
“The first game of the season I hit a solo home run,” she said, “My strength as a leadoff hitter is to just make contact with the ball. I usually try to put the ball through the holes.
“My job is to get on base, so I try to do that.”
Kaylea Armstrong came through with a pair of hits for Lincoln-Way West (19-11, 7-8). Abby Brueggmann drove in the Warriors’ lone run.
Lockport coach Marissa Chovanec, however, isn’t surprised by Slavick. She has been watching her play like that for four years after promoting Slavicek to the varsity during her freshman season.
“She provides a lot of energy at the leadoff spot,” Chovanec said. “She sparks the lineup.
“Four years ago, we had two freshman pitchers and we brought her up. We were rebuilding that year and we had some holes in the outfield, and she came in and did a really good job for us.”
Friday’s win was Lockport’s seventh in a row since an 8-2 loss on May 1 to Lincoln-Way Central. The Porters have gone 13-1 since April 15, when they had a record of 8-8.
“I just tried to build our team up,” Slavicek said about the team’s early struggles. “I was telling all the players, ‘You got this.’ I was trying to be a leader and keep their confidence up.”
Her leadership won’t be ending when she leaves Lockport. Slavicek plans to major in elementary education with the end goal of teaching third grade.
“I’m so excited,” she said. “During middle school, I was asked to volunteer to teach players about softball and I really liked the girls.
“Since sophomore year, I’ve been really wanting to connect with kids. I’ve loved them ever since I was a little girl. Since then, I’ve really wanted to be a teacher.”
Why third grade? Thank Reed School third-grade teacher Jinger Billquist for that.
“She inspired me,” Slavicek said of Billquist. “I liked her class, and I want to show passion for those kids like she showed for us”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
