Ava Lorenzatti is pretty quick with a quip.
The Beecher ace pitcher did her best standup routine Saturday when asked if she has had a dogged mentality inside of her since coming up just short of a state title last season.
“Umm … I don’t know about a dog,” Lorenzatti said. “Maybe an inner Bobcat.”
After which teammates Ava Olson and Emma Tiltges fell to the ground laughing.
Lorenzatti, for sure, was a total standout as Beecher defeated the host Angels 2-0 in a Class 2A Joliet Catholic Regional championship game held at Lewis in Romeoville.
The sophomore right-hander struck out 17 and fired a three-hit shutout Saturday for the Bobcats (30-1). Lorenzatti also had two hits and drove in the only two runs of the game.
Madison Patrick, Addison Fanter and Molly Ryan each had hits for Joliet Catholic (17-9).
Beecher will play at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday against host Herscher (21-16) in a sectional semifinal.
Simply put, Lorenzatti was Do-It-All Ava in the win over the Angels.
The bases were loaded with two outs in the bottom of the second inning when Lorenzatti laced a single to the left-center gap. It sent home Taylor Norkus and Alexa Gliva.
“I just had to wait for my pitch and be patient,” Lorenzatti said. “I saw it and let it rip.”
On defense, she was, well, pretty much the defense.
Twice, Joliet Catholic had runners on third base with two outs. Both times, Lorenzatti got the final out on a called third strike.
Aside from the 17 strikeouts, Lorenzatti had two assists on taps to the circle and one putout when she caught an attempted bunt on the fly.
So dominant. So involved in so many things.
“I just try to do anything I can all the time,” Lorenzatti said. “I know what the girls behind me are capable of doing. As long as we’re mentally into the game, I’m very confident in them.
“I try to take the stress off of the girls, too, that we can save for later.
Olson recorded the only other assist for the Bobcats on a groundout to short that ended the top of the fourth.
A break from boredom? Not really.
“I mean, you’ve always got to stay on your toes,” Olson said. “You have to just be ready for anything. Even with Ava’s good pitches, if they make contact, it will more than likely be a smaller blooper to you or a routine ground ball.”
It wasn’t exactly routine. It was sharply hit by Ryan. Olson made a nifty scoop and rocket throw to first base to nail the runner.
Well-executed play.
“It felt good,” Olson said, smiling. “You just have to go out there and do your thing.”
This season, Lorenzatti (17-1) has 239 strikeouts in 108 innings. She already has exceeded 500 strikeouts for her career.
“She has gotten a whole lot faster this season,” said Tiltges, a senior catcher. “She’s just more accurate overall. Her pitches rise more and they drop more for change-ups.
“Everything is just more accurate.”
The countdown is continuing toward the end of Lorenzatti’s longtime pitcher-catcher partnership with Tiltges.
“It’s definitely a sad feeling,” Tiltges said. “Ava and I have played together since I was in eighth grade and she was in sixth. We know each other pretty well, and that gives our chemistry when we’re on the field. I feel we’re a good team out there.
“Honestly, Ava has worked so hard for everything that she is. She deserves all of the talent that she has. And even though this being our last season together makes me sad, I’m excited to see how far she goes.”
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
