ROCHELLE — The Lady Hubs varsity softball team performed a rare feat when the girls opened the 2018 season against the powerful Stillman Valley Cardinals on Monday.

Trailing 1-0 in the top of the first inning, the Rochelle girls needed a big defensive stop to avoid a tricky situation with Cardinals standing on second and third base. Senior pitcher Jessie Meyers induced a deep fly ball to center field, but with the wind howling in from the northwest, senior Britney Salinas made a running grab for the first out.

The defensive play caught both Stillman Valley runners off-guard, and Salinas fired the ball to second base for the second out before the Lady Hubs threw the ball to third base to complete the rare triple play. While the Cardinals went on to top Rochelle 11-4, head coach Lindsay Suess said she was happy with her team’s defensive effort on Monday.

“Our defense played really well outside of a few hiccups,” Suess said. “Britney did an excellent job in the outfield and Teddi [Hacaga] played a really good shortstop. We’re looking for both of those girls to stay solid on defense and let the rest of the team come around.”

Stillman Valley scored one run in each of the first three innings to take a 3-0 lead over the Lady Hubs. Salinas and senior Faith Roush each singled in the bottom of the first inning, with junior Maddi O’Rorke walking as well, but the Rochelle girls couldn’t get on the scoreboard. The Cardinals plated two runs in the top of the fourth to jump ahead 5-0.

The Lady Hubs hung tough early, but the Stillman Valley offense proved too strong in the end. The Cardinals broke the game open in the top of the fifth inning with a four-run outburst to increase their advantage to 9-0. After three runners reached in the first inning, Rochelle (0-1) didn’t get a runner on base until senior Sarena Abdallah was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the fifth.

“When we practice, we just need to start focusing and taking really good swings,” Suess said. “We need to make sure we’re swinging at good pitches and adjusting to the pitchers.”

The Lady Hubs sparked some positive offensive momentum in the top of the sixth inning, however, after both Salinas and senior Alex Ferrari walked to start the frame. Roush drew a hit-by-pitch to load the bases, and O’Rorke recorded Rochelle’s first RBI on the season with an infield single, scoring Salinas.

Meyers launched a two-run triple to right field soon after, which plated both Ferrari and Roush to make it a 9-3 game. O’Rorke was thrown out at home trying to score, but the Lady Hubs would get another run anyway after Meyers crossed home plate on a dropped-third-strike play with Hacaga at bat.

Roush took the mound to start the top of the sixth after Meyers threw the first five innings on Monday, and the senior held Stillman Valley to its lone scoreless frame in the inning. The Cardinals plated two runs up 9-4 in the top of the seventh to ice the Stillman Valley victory. Rochelle will play at Freeport on Thursday.

“I’m happy how the girls never gave up toward the end of the game,” Suess said. “We kept fighting. We just need to take better swings at better pitches, and if we do that I think we’re in that game. We can’t let the other team score four runs in an inning.”