DEKALB — Although Rochelle was unable to find timely hits on Friday, the Lady Hubs leaned on their defense to hang tough during their nonconference varsity softball game against DeKalb.

Rochelle held the Barbs scoreless in four different frames, with senior Lauren Dyer posting four strikeouts and no walks while holding DeKalb to six hits from the pitcher’s circle. The Lady Hubs scattered six hits and drew three walks, but the girls were unable to cash in on their scoring opportunities, falling to the Barbs 6-0. Freshman Mya Martinez went 2 for 3 with a double and reached base three times for the Lady Hubs, who will host Boylan Catholic on Saturday.

“Lauren’s been working really hard to make sure that she’s hitting her spots,” head coach Deanna Jacobs said. “She’s also making sure that she’s playing her position while hitting her spots, which has been awesome to watch. She’s learning how to relax while she’s in the circle and she’s learning how to bounce back quickly after we have an issue or a mistake.”

Sophomore Camryn Metzger recorded the first hit of the evening, shooting a one-out single into right field in the top of the second inning, but a popup and a groundout over the next two at-bats stranded her at first. DeKalb (5-1, 1-0 DuPage Valley) capitalized on timely hits in the bottom of the second inning, where Cassidy Cavazos rolled a one-out single through the right side and Sydney Myles delivered a two-out single two batters later to give the Barbs a 2-0 advantage.

The Lady Hubs threatened in the top of the third inning, placing two runners on base after back-to-back singles from Martinez and junior lead-off batter Madigan Williams. But Cavazos, who pitched a complete game for the Barbs, escaped the jam with a strikeout to preserve DeKalb’s shutout. Sophomores Emma Heller (walk) and Phelisity Lopez (hit by pitch) reached base for Rochelle in the top of the fourth inning, but a groundout quashed the scoring threat.

Clinging to a slim lead, DeKalb capitalized on a pair of untimely Rochelle errors to score the first of its four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Isabel Aranda belted the hit of the game for the Barbs, sending a line drive into right field that narrowly escaped the outstretched glove of Lopez, resulting in a two-run triple that put DeKalb ahead 5-0. Alaynna Johnson plated the final Barb run of the evening, driving Aranda home on an RBI groundout to the shortstop Martinez.

The Lady Hubs continued to threaten over the final two frames, with Lopez smacking a single in the top of the sixth inning and two Rochelle runners reaching base in the top of the seventh inning, where Martinez pounded a two-out double to the left-field wall. But a strikeout ended the game and secured the win for the Barbs and Cavazos, who fanned four in her complete game.