Even if Madisen Tucker tried, she couldn’t have ignored what was unfolding.
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As the innings progressed, the sophomore right-hander kept being reminded of the possible feat by her Lake Central teammates.
It didn’t matter.
Tucker threw her first career no-hitter Friday as the Indians downed Bishop Noll 11-0 in six innings.
“I just tried to pitch like every other game,” Tucker said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the defense behind me.”
Tucker (5-2) had seven strikeouts and issued a walk with two outs in the second inning. One other batter reached base on a dropped third strike in the fifth.
The Warriors (10-5) only hit two balls out of the infield — flyouts to right and left in the first inning.
“I don’t know if our approach at the plate was good,” Bishop Noll coach Rich Sobilo said. “We took a lot of pitches, waiting to swing until the third strike is difficult. But she pitched a really good game.
“She was hitting the corners, she was jamming us up a little bit. We didn’t get good contact on her except for a couple of balls.”
Alex Hickey ended the game with a two-run homer to center in the sixth. The junior first baseman also opened the scoring with an RBI double in the first and added an RBI single in the third to give the Indians (14-5) a 2-0 lead.
Hickey, Lake Central’s career leader in the category, knew she had gotten all of her homer.
“Those are the best,” she said. “I was just trying to keep my hands back. I’ve been pulling my shoulder.”
Lake Central erupted for seven runs on seven hits in the fifth, sending 11 batters to the plate.
Gabi Carra had a single and an RBI triple in the inning. The freshman second baseman went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two stolen bases out of the leadoff spot.
“It’s nice to be able to be the person to get something going for the team,” Carra said.
It also was nice for Lake Central coach Jeff Sherman to see his team clicking after a challenging stretch of games.
“It felt good to have a semblance of what we think our team can be back,” he said. “It’s been awhile. We’ve had some struggles at the plate, we’ve had some trouble throwing strikes in the circle. It felt like we put it all together.”
Both teams view this game as a test. The Indians are ranked No. 7 in Class 4A and the Warriors No. 6 in 2A.
“That’s why we play this game, because it makes us better,” said Sobilo, whose team won 3-2 last season. “We love playing them. I’m happy Jeff lets us play them.”
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