ROCHELLE — Consistent pitching and a strong start at the plate allowed the Rochelle Lady Hubs to take the early lead and hang tough during their varsity softball game against Ottawa.

The Lady Hubs scored five runs over the first three frames, while sophomore Emma Heller and senior Lauren Dyer combined for 13 strikeouts without allowing a single walk over seven innings of work from the pitcher’s circle. Entering as the ICA’s No. 14 ranked school in Class 3A, Ottawa managed to overcome the early deficit, but Rochelle showed that it could compete against a top team in the conference, totaling 10 hits and committing just one error in a 7-5 loss to the Pirates.

“We were able to hit the ball well early in the count and we didn’t allow them to get into positions where they could use more nasty pitches,” head coach Deanna Jacobs said. “We were able to put the ball in play and make them work, which was nice to see. Unfortunately, there were too many strikeouts for our liking, but it was a confidence booster as far as how we hit the ball.”
Ottawa (13-5, 3-2 Interstate 8) opened the game with a bang, taking a 1-0 lead after lead-off batter Piper Lewis belted a home run over the left-center field fence. But Dyer was able to shake off the solo blast and settle in over her first three frames of work, striking out four batters without allowing a walk and holding the Pirate offense to three runs over three innings from the circle.

Using the opposite field and gusty winds to their advantage, the Lady Hubs (5-14, 0-5 Interstate 8) rallied for three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take their first lead of the evening. Freshman Mya Martinez slapped a one-out single into right field before Dyer floated a single to the opposite field and sophomore Camryn Metzger drew a hit-by-pitch to load the bases.

Continuing to attack the other way, Rochelle tied the score when Heller lofted an RBI single to shallow right field, allowing Martinez to touch home and even the game at 1-1. Two batters later, freshman Audrina Rodriguez delivered a clutch hit with two outs, shooting a two-run ground ball single through the right side of the Ottawa infield to drive home both Dyer and Metzger. 

Rochelle had a chance to balloon its lead in the bottom of the second inning, where Martinez and Dyer singled to load the bases with one out, but a strikeout and a flyout ended the scoring threat. The Pirates evened the score with a pair of runs in the top of the third inning, but the Lady Hubs answered with two runs in the bottom half, where RBI groundouts from freshman Cheyenne Somers and junior Keirra Clark capped off a three-hit inning for the Rochelle side.

Trailing 5-3 entering the top of the fourth inning, Ottawa found success during its second trip around the order, opening the frame with a single before an RBI triple from Kilah Figenbaum cut the Rochelle lead to one and ended Dyer’s day in the circle. Heller took over in relief, but the Pirates were unfazed by the pitching change, tying the score on Annamaria Corsolini’s RBI single to center. Corsolini eventually scored on a passed ball to put Ottawa ahead 6-5.

The Pirates added insurance in the top of the fifth inning, where Bobbi Snook singled and scored on a passed ball to give Ottawa a two-run cushion. The Pirates would do no further damage, however, as Heller recorded four strikeouts over the final two frames, including striking out the side in the top of the seventh inning, to strand a pair of baserunners. Heller ultimately fanned nine batters without allowing a walk and limited Ottawa to one earned run in four frames.

“I think Lauren and Emma feed off of each other really well,” Jacobs said. “When Lauren isn’t pitching, Emma’s playing first base and when Lauren’s at first base, Emma’s pitching. They’re able to see a lot of things, give each other tips and keep the momentum driving.”

While Rochelle tallied five runs over the first three frames, the Lady Hubs went cold over the final four frames, striking out nine times and recording just one hit over that stretch. Martinez and Dyer each went 2 for 3 with one run scored, while Heller and Rodriguez each went 2 for 4.