Molly Finn dearly loves Lincoln-Way West teammates Reese Rourke and Reese Cusack.
But on this particular day, she was just a little bit jealous.
Two of Cusack’s fly balls cleared the fence, and so did one by Rourke. Finn’s two deep fly balls were pulled in near the warning track.
“Haha … yeah, I thought my second one was out for sure,” Finn said. “But then I was like, ‘Oh shoot. The wind is blowing it back in.’ The wind wasn’t good to me today.
“But it was exciting to watch theirs go out. They were really far, even with the wind. They were rockets.”
Finn, a sophomore third baseman, found other ways to make a difference Wednesday as the Warriors posted a 6-1 nonconference win over Lemont in New Lenox.
Cusack’s two solo home runs were tops on offense for Lincoln-Way West (16-7). In addition to her 13th home run of the season, Rourke pitched the win, striking out four and firing a four-hitter.
Allison Pawlowicz led Lemont (17-8) with two hits. Lauren Grames drove in the run.
Finn came up big with an RBI single in the third inning to put the Warriors in front 2-0. Moments later, she scored on Cusack’s towering drive over the fence in left field.
Cusack completed her dynamic daily double with another homer to right-center in the fifth. They were her fourth and fifth of the season.
Finn, meanwhile, is batting .476 with 22 runs, six doubles, three home runs and 27 RBIs. It’s a pretty big jump from last season, when as a freshman starter she hit .298.
“My freshman season was a very nice set point to get better,” Finn said. “After the season, I went to a new hitting coach and worked on using my legs more than my arms when I’m hitting.
“I feel that helped me out a lot.”
She also received some sage advice from Rourke.
“She told me to keep my head up,” Finn said of Rourke. “I struck out some times last season when I probably shouldn’t have, and she told me to have better pitch choices.”
Finn evidently listened. This spring, she has struck out just five times, compared to 29 in 2023.
“I am very proud of Molly,” Rourke said. “We were practicing and working out all summer, and she did very well.”
Lincoln-Way West coach Heather Novak is seeing her faith in the freshman rewarded.
“Last year, Molly had a good season for a freshman at the varsity level,” Novak said. “This season, the average has gone up, the power numbers have gone up. She has done a good job hitting to all fields, and she’s also somebody you want up there with runners in scoring position.
“And she’s very coachable. She does all the little things that as a coach you would hope your athletes would do. As a multisport athlete in softball and basketball, it shows in her work ethic. And she’s a great teammate.”
That’s off the field and on. She’s been a game-changer for Rourke with her glove at third base.
“Oh, she’s a stud,” Rourke said, smiling. “She knocks down everything. She’s always diving all over the place, and works really hard.
“There was one game where there was a rocket hit toward the third base line. She dove like two to five feet and stuck the glove out.”
That was against Bradley. And Finn appreciated the shoutout.
“I didn’t throw it because I was too far away to get the out,” Finn said. “But I did knock it down. And I think there was a runner on second, too.”
She didn’t move.
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
