Lake Central’s players streamed from the dugout and swarmed Alexa Pinarski in the circle.
The senior right-hander was instrumental Friday night as the Indians topped the host Bulldogs 4-2 in the championship game of the Class 4A Crown Point Sectional.
In a matchup of the Duneland Athletic Conference co-champions and state powers, Pinarski allowed two runs on six hits with five strikeouts and one walk.
Lake Central coach Jeff Sherman revealed Pinarski, a Columbia recruit who earlier this week defeated Lowell and Kankakee Valley in the sectional, is one of five finalists for the Indiana Miss Softball award.
“If this doesn’t show she’s worthy of that recognition, I don’t know what does, beating those three teams in a four-day span,” Sherman said.
Pinarski savored the challenge.
“It makes this win that much sweeter because we had to work so hard,” she said.
Lake Central (26-4) advances for a home game against Chesterton (24-5), a team it swept in DAC play, in Tuesday’s regional.
The Indians won their first sectional title since 2015, when they were the Class 4A state runner-up and the current seniors — seven on the roster, all starters — were freshmen.
Senior shortstop Rylee Platusic, a Purdue recruit, went 2-for-3 against Crown Point (25-6).
“It feels awesome to come in as freshmen and win a sectional title, and it feels awesome going out as seniors and winning a sectional title,” Platusic said.
To win this one, Lake Central scored two unearned runs in the fifth to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead. A drop on Wisconsin commit Gabi Carra’s fly ball allowed the two runs to score, Crown Point’s second error of the inning.
The Bulldogs took a 2-1 lead on Maggie Ballentine’s two-run single with two outs in the top of the inning.
“I knew I had to pick up my game in the circle and keep throwing my game,” Pinarski said. “I know the team has my back. I knew we were going to get runs.”
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Senior third baseman Selena Michko gave Lake Central the lead with a homer to lead off the second. She also hit a homer in Thursday’s win against Kankakee Valley.
“I’m just seeing the ball well,” Michko said. “My pitch.”
The Indians added an insurance run in the sixth on senior outfielder Jessi Kiefor’s hit, their third straight single with one out.
Sherman’s confidence in his experienced team never wavered.
“A lot of fun, a lot of fun,” he said. “We’re built for it. That’s having a veteran team, they’ve been through it. Those seven seniors were not going to let us lose this game.”
Crown Point, last season’s Class 4A state champion, started one senior in right fielder Lydia Byrd. The Bulldogs started four freshmen.
“If it was KV or Lake Central, they were the senior-laden teams,” Crown Point coach Pete Iussig said. “We felt like we were the underdogs and we just had to take our best shot.
“I told them to keep their heads up and let’s start thinking about next year.”