Lemont softball finishes as 2021 IHSA Class 3A State Runner-Up

Making its first state finals appearance in 32 years, Lemont High School’s softball team finished as the 2021 IHSA Class 3A State Runner-up. Head coach Chris Traina’s squad lost, 1-0, to Highland in the state championship game, which was contested at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria. Lemont finished the season with a 28-5 record, closing the season with wins in 26 of 28 games. It earned the program’s third state trophy, and matched its best state finals finish.

The title game featured two of the state’s top pitchers in Lemont sophomore Sage Mardjetko and Highland senior Sam Miener. That matchup lived up to its billing, with baserunners hard to come by. Neither team had a runner past second base until the bottom of the seventh. Miener led off with a double to left center field. Her courtesy runner stole third base and eventually scored the game-winning run on a sacrifice fly to send Highland (25-1) to the title.

Mardjetko (16-2) was outstanding, allowing just two hits and one earned run in 6.2 innings while striking out 11. Miener, who had both of Highland’s hits, struck out five in a two-hit shutout and finished the season with a 25-0 record. Freshmen Raegan Duncan and Allison Pawlowicz picked up base hits for Lemont. 

IHSA Softball Website

Lemont was making its fourth state finals appearance. Each of its first three state finals appearances came at the IHSA Class A level (1985, 1988, 1989). It previously won state trophies in 1988 (2nd) and 1989 (3rd).

Its 28 wins in 2021 were its most in one season under Traina’s leadership. Lemont won its third South Suburban Conference-Blue Division title by finishing a perfect 19-0 league play, and also captured its fifth straight IHSA Regional and third consecutive IHSA Sectional.

State Semifinal – Lemont 10, Ridgewood 0
State semifinal foe Ridgewood had won 17 in a row entering the state finals. Lemont set the tone early, however, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning on a two-run triple from Maddy Wallace and a sacrifice fly from senior Emma Kucharski.

Lemont scored three more runs in the second to take control. Mardjetko belted an RBI double, senior Sarah Cliff stole home as a courtesy runner, and a Ridgeland error also plated a run. Mardjetko extended the lead with an RBI double in the third. Freshman Avaree Taylor slugged her team-leading sixth homer of the year, a two-run shot, to extend Lemont’s lead in the fifth, and Wallace ended the game with an RBI single in the sixth.

Wallace finished with three hits and three RBIs, while Mardjetko and Taylor each had two hits and two RBIs. Mardjetko was perfect through four innings before settling for a two-hit shutout, fanning nine without a walk.