It took two innings, but the Kaneland bats broke out of a two-game slump, pounding out 14 hits in an 18-3 road win over Rochelle in an Interstate 8 battle Wednesday.

The Knights (5-4 overall, 1-1 conference) trailed 3-2 after two innings but erupted for nine runs in the third. They only had three runs and seven hits combined in the past two games.

“We knew we had to put some hits together if we wanted to win,” said Natalie Naab, who had an RBI double in the second and an RBI single in the third. “Our approach kind of changed a little bit. We were all talking about what we were seeing. It helped us change at the plate and adjust better.”

Kaneland drew just one walk off Rochelle starter Ema Heller through the first two innings. In the third, they drew six walks off Heller and reliever Chloe Escatel.

Lilyana Crawford led off the third with a home run to tie the game, then Addison Coulter walked and stole second. Naab singled her home for a 4-3 lead and scored on a double by Makayla Jonutz.

Three of the next five Knights walked. The two who didn’t walk did some damage with an RBI double by Luciana Campise and a pinch-hit single by Kylie Carriere that also drove in a run.

Rochelle coach Anna Criswell said the patience by the Knights made a difference against her pitching staff.

“I kind of give props to Kaneland’s offense for knowing what the umpire’s zone was,” Criswell said. “They knew what he was and what he wasn’t calling. When the hitter learns the zone, it becomes a little more challenging for our pitcher.”

The Knights lost the last game of their spring break trip in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 5-1 to MacLean on Friday, then lost their I-8 opener against Ottawa 4-2 on Monday.

Kaneland coach Mike Kuefler said he liked how the team adjusted after the first two innings. He said the coaching staff let the players figure out the adjustments on their own.

“It’s stuff we’ve been working on all season,” Kuefler said. “We don’t have a whole lot of games underneath [us] yet. Practice-wise, we were indoors up until a couple weeks ago.”

The Hubs (1-4, 0-2) took the lead thanks to back-to-back two-out doubles by Phelisity Lopez and Mya Martinez in the bottom of the second. Escatel singled and scored on Lopez’s double, while Leah O’Brien reached on a fielder’s choice and scored with Lopez on Martinez’s double.

Those were the only runs Rochelle scored off starter Riley Cooper, who struck out seven and walked two. She allowed four hits and also hit a home run. Maddison Kane pitched two scoreless innings of two-hit relief, striking out three and walking none.

Kane was the only one of 11 Knights to get an at-bat without getting a hit, but all 11 scored. Naab had three hits, two runs and two RBIs. Campise had two hits and scored three times. Jonutz, Ruh and Cooper drove in two runs each.

Kuefler said Naab is unflappable at the plate and just as solid in the field. Naab said with the returners back for the Knights this year, she’s hoping they can put together some wins. They face Burlington Central on Thursday and Oswego on Friday.

“We all know each other and have good chemistry,” Naab said. “Even with the newcomers, we’re all working well and helping each other get better at what we need to get better at.”

While the Knights were playing game No. 9 this season, the Hubs have struggled to play games at all. Before playing games Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week, they had only played twice – a 12-7 loss to DeKalb and a 15-0 win against Rockford Lutheran.

“We are hoping to continue playing and not get canceled out with weather,” Criswell said. “That has been our biggest battle thus far, is outdoor time and live pitching, being able to see a fly ball with the wind. Playing these games back-to-back-to-back, we learned a lot about how we play in a game, so we can take that to practice.”