ASHTON — Success in the pitcher’s circle fueled the Rochelle Lady Hubs during their nonconference varsity doubleheader against Ashton-Franklin Center on Saturday morning. 

Senior Lauren Dyer fired a two-hit shutout during the opener, striking out 10 batters as the Lady Hubs cruised for a 10-0 win over the Lady Raiders. Rochelle sent a trio of pitchers into the circle in the finale, which the Lady Hubs claimed 17-9 to sweep the doubleheader at AFC. Freshmen Cheyenne Somers and Mya Martinez combined to record six strikeouts over the first four and two-thirds innings, while Dyer added four strikeouts over the final two and one-third innings.

Sophomore Jaclynn Lira led the Rochelle offense in the opener, finishing 2 for 3 with two singles and two RBIs. Sophomore Camryn Metzger spearheaded the charge in the finale, finishing 2 for 6 with two triples and five RBIs for the Lady Hubs (9-19, 0-10 Interstate 8). Rochelle will resume nonconference action with a road game against Dixon at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon.

Game 1

Junior Madigan Williams smacked a lead-off single and scored on an RBI single from Camryn Metzger to give Rochelle a 1-0 advantage in the top of the first inning. The Lady Hubs took advantage of two errors in the top of the third inning, where Rochelle tallied three runs to take a 4-0 lead. Sophomore Alexa Soto slapped an RBI infield single to cap off the three-run frame.

Back-to-back walks preceded a pair of Ashton-Franklin Center miscues in the top of the fifth inning, where the Lady Hubs scored five runs to surge ahead 9-0. Jaclynn Lira’s RBI single to center field highlighted the five-run inning for the Lady Hubs, who tacked on their 10th run of the game on an RBI single from Lauren Dyer in the top of the seventh inning. The Lady Raiders put two runners on in the bottom of the seventh inning, but a strikeout clinched the Rochelle win.

Game 2

Cheyenne Somers started in the circle for the Lady Hubs, throwing three innings and striking out four batters with two walks and three hits allowed. Rochelle took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, where Lauren Dyer belted a one-out triple and sophomore Briel Metzger sent an RBI single into right field to cap off the frame. A dropped third strike and a pair of walks enabled Ashton-Franklin Center to earn two runs back and make the score 3-2 in the bottom of the first.

Rochelle turned a double play on defense in the bottom of the second inning, but a single and an error led to two runs for the Lady Raiders, who snuck ahead 4-3 after two frames. Rochelle tied the score in the top of the third inning, but the Lady Raiders responded with a run on Leah O’Brien’s RBI groundout in the bottom of the third inning. With Rochelle trailing 5-4, Camryn Metzger smashed a bases-clearing, three-RBI triple to right field to give the Lady Hubs the lead.

Dyer’s line drive RBI single to center highlighted a two-run top of the fifth inning, where Rochelle took a 9-5 lead before a quartet of errors in the bottom of the fifth inning allowed AFC to score four runs and even the score at 9-9. Junior Addison Bingham came through for the Lady Hubs in the top of the sixth inning, shooting an RBI single into center to put Rochelle ahead by one.

After holding AFC scoreless in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Lady Hubs blew the game open in the top of the seventh inning, where Rochelle tallied seven runs on four errors and two hits including an RBI triple from Camryn Metzger and an RBI single from Somers, who went 2 for 6 and scored four runs in the win. Working with an eight-run advantage, Dyer retired the Lady Raiders in order during the bottom of the seventh inning to clinch the Rochelle win.