Defense and Timely Power Lift Lincoln-Way West Past Homewood-Flossmoor 2-1
The Lincoln-Way West varsity softball team relied on lock-down pitching, flawless defense, and timely power to edge Homewood-Flossmoor 2-1 in a tense conference road clash on Tuesday afternoon.
In a classic pitcher’s duel where baserunners were scarce, Lincoln-Way West made the most of its early opportunities. The visitors jumped out to an immediate lead, pushing a run across the plate in the top of the first inning to put the pressure on Homewood-Flossmoor starter I. Thurman.
Thurman settled in and kept the game close, but the Lincoln-Way West offense broke through again in the top of the fourth. The visitors utilized the long ball to double their advantage, blasting a solo home run to make it a 2-0 contest. The Lincoln-Way West lineup finished the afternoon with five hits and a walk against the Homewood-Flossmoor ace.
Armed with a two-run lead, the Lincoln-Way West defense put on a clinic. The unit did not commit a single error over seven innings of play, providing brilliant support for a pitching staff that pounded the strike zone. Lincoln-Way West pitchers did not issue a single walk all afternoon, striking out five batters and forcing Homewood-Flossmoor to earn their way on base.
The hosts finally managed to break through in the bottom of the sixth inning. Taylor Purchas sparked the rally with a base hit, and Denmark Chaney delivered a clutch RBI double to slice the deficit in half. Chaney finished the day 2-for-3 at the plate, while Anna Richmond also added a pair of hits and a stolen base for Homewood-Flossmoor.
Despite the late surge, Lincoln-Way West slammed the door shut in the final frame. The defense secured the necessary outs in the bottom of the seventh, stranding the tying run and sealing the hard-fought 2-1 conference victory.
Game Summary
Score by Innings
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
| Lincoln-Way West | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Homewood-Flossmoor | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
Scoring Summary
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1st Inning: Lincoln-Way West strikes early, bringing a run home in the opening frame. (Lincoln-Way West 1, Homewood-Flossmoor 0)
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4th Inning: Lincoln-Way West doubles its lead with a solo home run in the top half of the inning. (Lincoln-Way West 2, Homewood-Flossmoor 0)
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6th Inning: Homewood-Flossmoor gets on the board as Denmark Chaney rips an RBI double to score Taylor Purchas. (Lincoln-Way West 2, Homewood-Flossmoor 1)
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