Prep softball: Bella Johnson’s homer, diving catch help secure Sycamore’s win over Ottawa

SYCAMORE – It wouldn’t be out of place for the middle three hitters in a batting lineup to combine for two home runs, six RBIs and five runs scored.

But on Thursday in an Interstate 8 Conference matchup against Ottawa, that’s what the bottom three hitters in the Sycamore lineup did in a 13-6 win in six innings.

“At the end of the batting lineup we are still very powerful,” said No. 7 hitter Bella Johnson, who had a homer, two RBIs and two runs scored. “It’s not just the top. We are a very strong hitting team, and that’s what I love about this team. We can come and hit. That’s what we love to do.”

Johnson belted a two-run homer in the fourth, one of six straight hits in the inning for the Spartans (20-2, 7-1 Interstate 8) after they entered the frame up 4-3. Brighton Snodgrass and Keera Trautvetter followed Johnson’s home run with singles as Sycamore pushed the lead to 9-3.

Snodgrass added a two-run double in the fifth to cap a four-run inning that was delayed about 45 minutes because of lightning. Sycamore led 13-4 after five.

Sycamore pounded out 15 hits in the game, including home runs for Snodgrass and leadoff hitter Addie McLaughlin in the second, tying the score after Ottawa took a 3-1 lead.

“We are dangerous one through nine, and that’s what makes it fun,” Sycamore coach Jill Carpenter said. “Home runs are great, but they get just as excited about smoking a single up the middle. I’m proud of them for understanding the little things matter.”

Hailey Larson and Maura Condon started the seventh with singles for Ottawa, but the game was called because of darkness.

Ottawa (15-9, 4-4) scored first with a single that drove in Kendall Lowery, but the Spartans matched it in the bottom of the first when McLaughlin doubled and scored on an error.

Before the two Sycamore homers in the bottom of the second, an error on Johnson in right field helped the Pirates score two in the inning, including one on an RBI single by Lowery.

Carpenter said it was a sweet redemption story for Johnson, who not only made the error but was 0 for 2 to start the game. Not only did she hit the home run in the fourth, but she also made a diving catch on a rocket hit by Lowery to the right-center gap in the sixth. She fully extended and held on to the ball as she went to the ground.

“I’m really proud of her of being able to let go of maybe a couple of misreads in right, not getting the execution we wanted offensively,” Carpenter said. “Then she just absolutely smokes the ball, and then the dive. That’s a brave play. ... We have to make those plays if we want to win the conference championship.”

It was the only time in four plate appearances the Spartans retired Lowery, who homered in the fifth and was 2 for 3 with two runs and two RBIs. Ottawa had scored two runs earlier in the sixth on a single by Reese Purcell to cut the Sycamore lead to 13-6.

“I was thinking, ‘I’m going to try, but you know what? No promises,” Johnson said of the dive. “And I did it and I got it. I love making diving plays. I like making easy plays, too, but that one was a 50-50.”

McLaughlin finished with two hits, two runs and two RBIs. Kairi Lantz had three hits and scored twice, Faith Heil had two hits, two runs and an RBI, and Snodgrass finished with three hits, three runs and two RBIs.

Condon had three of Ottawa’s 10 hits.

“I don’t think we played terrible,” Ottawa coach Adam Lewis said. “They have a lot of bats, and we had one inning where they got some seeing-eye singles, put some balls in play and got one big hit, kind of broke it open with that. A little more time, a little better conditions, we were hitting the ball solid, too, so who knows? All in all I’m not unpleased with the way we played.”