Sports
Markanich’s Bat, Burke’s Arm Elevate H-F
Vikings upperclassmen Jessica Markanich and Sarah Burke prove that the Vikings are contenders, contributing to a 4-0 win over previously undefeated Lincoln-Way East on Thursday.
Homewood-Flossmoor’s Jessica Markanich doesn’t need to validate that she can hit in the clutch. After providing the game-winning grand slam against Lockport the day before, the senior center fielder was at it again Thursday. In a scoreless game against Lincoln-Way East, Markanich ripped an RBI double in the third inning to get H-F on the board.
“Markanich’s been coming through for us a lot lately,” Vikings coach Katie Rice-Hoger said. “She’s hitting the ball really well.”
The Vikings (12-4, 4-0) tallied an additional three runs on the Griffins (11-1, 2-1) after Markanich’s big hit, but they didn’t really need those with junior pitcher Sarah Burke on the mound.
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Burke (8-1) pitched a gem against the previously undefeated Griffins, stifling their hot bats by consistently getting ahead in the count.
“We really wanted to win today, knowing that they were undefeated,” Burke explained. “All my pitches were working for me, but I mostly threw my curve and fastball.”
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Coach Rice-Hoger wasn’t surprised by the eight strikeouts Burke posted.
“Sarah Burke dominated today,” she said. “She’s averaging 10 strikeouts a game for us. Her ball movement was all over, and my catcher (Marissa Werner) was making the right calls. Our bats followed with it and we just kept rolling.”
With Markanich and Burke on the field, the Vikings have plenty of butter to go with their rolls. H-F looks to keep it going next Monday against Bolingbrook.
