Andrew Has a Blast, Courtesy of Christner

Hitting a home run is nothing new to Andrew sophomore center fielder Kelly Christner.
The lefty slugger hit four home runs last season as a freshman and entered Saturday’s Class 4A Lincoln-Way East Regional final with three blasts this season.

None compared to the one she hit Saturday, however.

Christner smacked a two-run homer over the right-field fence in the top of the third inning to account for the only runs of the game in

“This is definitely my biggest home run,” Christner said. “Right when I hit it, I was hoping it would go over. I was just really excited when I saw it go over the fence. I just wanted to be aggressive and if I saw a pitch I liked, go after it and hit it. Everyone was really excited because the momentum of the game was going in our favor.”

Shannon Rust delivered a one-out single for Andrew’s first hit of the game and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Dani Bestwina before coming around to score on Christner’s decisive hit.

Christner, who bats No. 3 in the lineup, ahead of her sister, Katie (a junior), has more than 30 RBIs on the season.

“Me and coach were talking on the bus before the game about needing Kelly or Katie coming through in this game,” Andrew coach Jim Holba said. “That’s why they’re our No. 3 and No. 4 hitters. Kelly took care of that today. To win games like these you need those magical moments and that was Kelly today. She’s a tough out and she’s in that position to come up with big hits. She’s been hitting well all year for us.”

Andrew winning pitcher Brooke Hofer appreciated the support of Christner’s home run.

“That was awesome,” said Hofer, who pitched a four-hit shutout. “She stepped up when she was supposed to and got the big hit.”

The Thunderbolts have won two straight regional championships and are seeking their first sectional championship since 2003, when Andrew earned the program’s only state berth.

Andrew will face Homewood-Flossmoor in the Class 4A Lockport Sectional semifinal Thursday.

“It’s definitely awesome winning back-to-back regional championships,” Christner said. “We wanted to come out hard, playing against East. We’re on a roll now and we’re going to go as far as we can.”

Key Moment: Hofer didn’t face much danger in Saturday’s victory, but she did get in a jam in the bottom of the sixth inning with her team still clinging to a slim 2-0 lead.

Lincoln-Way East put runners on first and second with one out and had its No. 3 and No. 4 hitters coming up, only to see Hofer strike out both of them to escape the jam.

“I just knew if I put the ball where I was supposed to they would hit the ball on the ground or I would strike them out,” Hofer said. “I just threw the ball hard and it turned out good. It was a little nerve-racking, but I knew we could do it.”

Hofer then retired the side in order in the seventh to clinch the victory.