When the ball jumped off the bat, Lockport’s Alexis Vander Tuuk knew it had a chance to be a home run. The West Alabama recruit also realized it could stay in the park or get caught.
So, against her better judgement, she watched the ball as she ran.
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“Off the bat, it felt like a good barrel,” Vander Tuuk said of her first-inning swing. “But I did trip over first base because I was watching it. I don’t recommend that, but I did do it.
“It could have gone either way, especially since it was so high in the air.”
It barely cleared the left field fence for an opposite-field two-run homer Tuesday as the left-handed Vander Tuuk helped the Porters trip up Lincoln-Way East 2-0 in a Class 4A Lincoln-Way West Sectional semifinal in New Lenox.
Maryville recruit Bridget Faut (14-9) struck out eight and allowed just two hits for third-seeded Lockport (24-12-1). She opened the postseason last week by throwing a perfect game with 16 strikeouts in a 7-0 regional win over Bloom.
Notre Dame recruit Cassidy Jagielski and Louisville commit Mackenzie Bacha both singled for the second-seeded Griffins (25-7), who won the SouthWest Suburban Conference championship.
During the regular season, Lockport beat Lincoln-Way East 6-3 on April 13 but then lost 7-3 on May 7. Faut was well aware the Griffins could score runs, so she had to be on top of her game.
“They have good hitters and we knew that from the start,” said Faut, who is also left-handed. “I knew I had to come out here and trust my pitches, trust my coaches and trust my defense.”
The Porters, who finished fourth in the state last season in Class 4A, will take on top-seeded Lincoln-Way West (26-7) at 4 p.m. Friday in the sectional final. Kaylea Armstrong, Reese Forsythe and Paige Seivert hit homers for the Warriors in a 9-3 win over Lincoln-Way Central (6-29).
It was Vander Tuuk’s second home run of the season, meanwhile, and the first one also was huge. She hit a walk-off grand slam to left-center to give the Porters a 5-2 win over Providence on April 1 in the semifinals of the WJOL Tournament.
“She has a lot of energy and brings a commitment to the team,” Lockport coach Marissa Chovanec said. “She’s always trying to do what we ask her to do and make adjustments.”
Vander Tuuk, a first baseman, made a nice adjustment late in the game on a play that could have been a disaster for the Porters.
Lockport faced a two-on, two-out situation in the sixth. Vander Tuuk dropped a hot line drive, but she picked up the ball and raced to first to get the Porters out of the jam.
“My first reaction is always instinct,” Vander Tuuk said. “I didn’t think I had that one, which is why I kind of looked at it for a minute. Then I had to regroup and figure it out.”
Faut was glad about that.
“She goes all out for those plays,” Faut said. “That’s what makes her a great teammate.”
“She had the presence to find the ball and touch the bag,” Chovanec said. “That was a big play.”
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It means another rematch for the Porters, who lost 4-0 to Lincoln-Way West on May 11 in New Lenox.
Vander Tuuk, who verbally committed to West Alabama as a sophomore, plans on majoring in business with the end goal of selling real estate after college.
West Alabama is an NCAA Division II powerhouse that finished 44-14-1 this spring.
“I’m very excited and definitely did a lot of research,” she said. “I wanted to go south. I was always looking D-II because I want sports to stay fun. I like the coaching staff and their facilities are nice.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.