I’ve enjoyed the friendships I’ve made and I’ve made new friends every year that will last a lifetime.”

Lauren Dyer

ROCHELLE — Freshman Mya Martinez said she learned one important thing from senior teammate Lauren Dyer after the Rochelle Lady Hub varsity softball team’s victory Saturday morning.

“No matter what, smile,” Martinez said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Lauren not smile.”

Martinez was all smiles as she rounded the bases after crushing a two-run homer in the bottom of the second inning, where Rochelle erupted for seven runs to take a commanding 11-0 lead over Genoa-Kingston. It was ‘Dyer Day’ for the Lady Hubs, who honored and celebrated their lone senior with a 15-0 win in four innings, snapping a four-game losing streak. Martinez went 3 for 4 with three runs and two RBIs for the Rochelle offense, which compiled 13 hits in the win.

“I’ve been struggling a little bit recently, but I felt like I was able to find the gaps and hitting one over felt good,” Martinez said. “She pitched the ball into my wheelhouse, which is right down the middle, and it’s a sign of the work I put in. It’s a good feeling, especially since we have a bunch of hard games coming up next week. It builds our confidence and proves that we can do it.”

Dyer enjoyed a stellar showing of her own, pitching four shutout frames while striking out four batters and limiting the Cogs (10-17-1, 7-6 Big Northern) to five hits. Dyer, who reached base four times and scored three runs on Saturday, was one of nine players to take at-bats in the first inning, where the Lady Hubs (6-17, 0-8 Interstate 8) tallied four runs on three hits. Sophomore Briel Metzger capped off the four-run frame, shooting a two-run ground ball single up the middle.

“It feels really nice to win because we’ve been struggling this season, but it felt good to play for Lauren and have fun with the team,” said Metzger, who went 3 for 3 with three RBIs in the win. “We all played well today. I just went in there and paid attention to where the ball was going and did my best to drive it and get a hit. We’ve learned to play for our teammates instead of playing for ourselves. That’s something Lauren has taught me over the past few years and it means a lot. It’s helped me grow as a teammate, not just in softball, but in volleyball and cheer too.”

Martinez’s homer was one of six hits in the bottom of the second inning for the Lady Hubs, who went ahead 7-0 after an RBI double from freshman Audrina Rodriguez, who belted a line drive into deep left field. Rodriguez went 2 for 2 with three runs and three RBIs in the ‘Dyer Day’ win.

“It’s a great feeling because I love these girls and I love this team.” Dyer said. “Everything came together today. I’ve enjoyed the friendships I’ve made and I’ve made new friends every year that will last a lifetime. Today showed that we can hit the ball and our defense was great today. It gives us a lot of confidence going into next week. My advice for the girls is to have fun and don’t let mistakes define you because it makes the game less fun. Just smile and have fun.”

An RBI single from freshman outfielder Cheyenne Somers continued the seven-run second frame for the Lady Hubs, who tacked on two runs in both the third and fourth innings to clinch their shutout victory. Sophomore infielder Camryn Metzger, who went 3 for 4 and scored twice, smacked the first of two run-scoring singles in the bottom of the fourth inning to seal the win. Rochelle will return to action with a road game against LaSalle-Peru at 4:30 p.m. on Monday.