GENESEO — The Hubs varsity baseball team traveled to Geneseo on Thursday eager to avoid a three-game sweep by the Maple Leafs after falling to the Green Machine on Monday and Tuesday.

Led by senior Caleb Gould, Rochelle salvaged the series with a 5-3 victory and improved to 7-7-1 on the season. Gould was the winning pitcher for the Hubs, tossing a complete game and forcing 11 groundouts, seven of which came consecutively between the second and fourth innings.

Both teams remained tied 0-0 after two innings, but Rochelle drew first blood with three runs in the top of the third. Gould began the scoring threat with a solo home run to left field, and senior Sam Christensen singled to keep the Hubs in business. Sophomore Johnny Beck came through with a single in the No. 4 spot, and both Beck and Christensen scored after a one-out double to left by senior Kyle Seebach.

Geneseo notched one run in the bottom of the third to make it a 3-1 game, and both teams went down without scoring in the fourth and fifth innings. Seebach hit a second double to left to start the top of the sixth, and senior Landon Griffith singled soon after, but Seebach was gunned down at third base for the second out of the frame.

It wouldn’t matter, however, as junior Noah Mershon reached base on a hit-by-pitch and junior Brendon Danekas reached base on a fielder’s choice and an error to help the Hubs take a 5-1 lead. The Maple Leafs responded with two runs in the bottom of the sixth, but it wouldn’t be enough to overtake the purple and white.

Seebach singled in the top of the seventh to finish 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs, while Griffith ended up 2-for-3 with two singles and one run scored. Rochelle totaled nine hits in the victory, and the Hubs will look to keep things rolling when they play Mendota in nonconference action this weekend.