Five Home Runs Power Lincoln-Way West Past Bradley-Bourbonnais 9-1

The Lincoln-Way West varsity softball team put on an absolute power clinic on Tuesday afternoon, launching a staggering five home runs en route to a dominant 9-1 conference victory over host Bradley-Bourbonnais.

The Warriors utilized a steady, relentless offensive approach to pull away from the Boilermakers, scoring in five of the game’s seven innings. Lincoln-Way West set the tone immediately, pushing two runs across the plate in the top of the first inning to take an early lead.

Bradley-Bourbonnais managed to cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the third. Junior Shannon Lee singled and eventually crossed the plate to make it a 2-1 game, momentarily shifting the momentum back to the home dugout.

However, Lincoln-Way West promptly responded with a run in the top of the fourth and never looked back. The Warriors’ offense exploded in the late innings, plating two runs in the fifth, one in the sixth, and three in the seventh to break the game wide open.

Bradley-Bourbonnais starting pitcher Abbie Hofbauer pitched valiantly to keep her team in the game early. The junior tossed four innings, allowing three runs—only one of which was earned—on three hits while giving up just one home run. Once the Warriors got into the Bradley-Bourbonnais bullpen, however, the long balls piled up. Lincoln-Way West mashed four more home runs over the final three frames to put the contest out of reach.

At the plate, junior B. Schriefer was a bright spot for the Boilermakers, finishing with a 2-for-4 performance. Junior Alayna Sykes and senior Lydia Hammond also tallied hits, while junior L. Middlebrook showed patience in the box to draw a pair of walks.

Despite stringing together five hits, Bradley-Bourbonnais struggled to generate sustained rallies, striking out eight times and stranding seven baserunners. Four costly fielding errors further hampered the Boilermakers’ efforts to contain the potent Lincoln-Way West lineup, resulting in three unearned runs for the visitors.

Game Summary

Score by Quarters

(Note: Scored by Innings)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
| :— | :— | :— | :— | :— | :— | :— | :— | :— | :— | :— |
| Lincoln-Way West | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 11 | 1 |
| Bradley-Bourbonnais | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 |

Scoring Drives

(Note: Scoring by Innings)

• 1st Inning

  • Lincoln-Way West: Plated 2 runs to take an early 2-0 lead.

• 3rd Inning

  • Bradley-Bourbonnais: Shannon Lee scored to cut the deficit to 2-1.

• 4th Inning

  • Lincoln-Way West: Added 1 run to push the advantage to 3-1.

• 5th Inning

  • Lincoln-Way West: Scored 2 runs.

• 6th Inning

  • Lincoln-Way West: Tacked on 1 run.

• 7th Inning

  • Lincoln-Way West: Capped the offensive showcase with a 3-run frame to seal the 9-1 victory.