Lake Central’s Cali Ramirez often doesn’t bat. So her first homer is special. ‘Especially against our rival.’

As the ball sailed over the fence in center field, Lake Central sophomore Cali Ramirez still wasn’t taking any chances.

A varsity rookie, Ramirez hadn’t hit a home run in her limited at-bats this season.

“I felt it,” she said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s gone.’ I felt great. But I was sprinting to first. I was like, ‘Wait, that might be gone, let’s go.’

“It felt great, especially against our rival.”

Indeed, the first home run of Ramirez’s varsity career was part of Lake Central’s 9-0 Duneland Athletic Conference victory against defending Class 4A state champion Crown Point in St. John on Tuesday.

Ramirez, a left fielder who also drew a walk in the showdown between the top two teams in the Class 4A state coaches poll, hit .646 with two homers on the junior varsity team last season. Her inaugural varsity homer led off a six-run second inning for the No. 1 Indians (24-0, 12-0), who have all but guaranteed their fourth straight conference title.

“My first varsity home run, it felt amazing,” Ramirez said. “My teammates are always just so supportive. It’s great to see.

“It’s been a little different this year. It’s been a quicker speed. But all of the upperclassmen have really taken me under their wing and shown me the varsity way. They’re all like my big sisters.”

Two of those “big sisters” also homered against the No. 2 Bulldogs (17-4-1, 9-2). In fact, Lake Central has hit 62 this season.

Senior second baseman MaKayla Van Vossen, a DePaul recruit, led off a three-run first with an opposite-field blast to left-center for her fifth home run of the season. Senior first baseman Sofia Beals, a Roosevelt recruit, crushed a three-run shot in the second for her ninth home run of the season.

The significance of Ramirez’s homer wasn’t lost on Beals.

“That was amazing,” Beals said. “Cali’s a great person. I love Cali. She always is kind. She always is ready to go. She deserved that.”

The homer by Ramirez, who has 39 plate appearances this season and batted eighth, highlighted the depth and talent of the lineup. Senior shortstop Lexi Iwema, an Indiana recruit who holds Lake Central’s single-season and career records for homers, leads the state with 16. Junior catcher Madi Wainwright, also an Indiana recruit, has 10.

“We have really good hitting this year,” Lake Central coach Yvette Tovar said. “It goes throughout the whole team. Usually I flex for her (Ramirez). … Sometimes she gets to hit for herself. But she bunts, she does everything I ask her to do, and she does it with execution 100% of the time.”