End of the order comes through for Marquette in 4-3 win at Streator

STREATOR – Bottom-of-the-order production is a calling card of winning softball teams.

It won the Marquette Crusaders their 14th game of the season Wednesday.

No. 8 hitter Lily Brewer and No. 9 batter Kinley Rick combined for four of the visiting Crusaders’ seven hits, two of their four runs and both of the seventh-inning RBIs that proved vital in a 4-3, nonconference victory over the Streator Bulldogs at the SHS Athletic Fields.

“You just have to do your best for the team and trust the [rest of] the team,” said Brewer, who, just after her own RBI hit, scored on Rick’s single, the run that turned out to be the difference in the ballgame. “We have a lot of trust in each other, believing in each other and knowing that everybody can do their job.”

Brewer was 2 for 4, Rick 2 for 3, and winning pitcher/No. 3 hitter Taylor Cuchra (7 IP, 3 R, 0 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 10 K) had the other RBI on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch. Marquette improved to 14-1 on the season with the win over their old Illinois Valley Conference rival.

Marquette stranded nine runners over the opening four innings and a dozen for the game.

“One through nine, the girls come to work and come prepared. I’m really proud of them,” Crusaders coach Curtiss Johnson said, “and we came through at the end against a good pitcher. We had runners in scoring position throughout the game, but just couldn’t get that hit. We finally came through toward the end.”

For Streator – now 4-11 after a third consecutive loss – Alexcia Middleton’s two hits including a double to lead the offense. Joyce Walkling and Kieran Black added the only other hits in support of Bulldogs ace Makenna Ondrey (7 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 7 H, 4 BB, 10 K), who repeatedly wriggled off the hook in the early innings until getting struck with single runs in the fourth and fifth and two in the seventh on Brewer and Rick’s back-to-back RBI singles.

While the Crusaders did manage seven hits, their three run-scoring innings were all sparked by Streator-issued walks, hit-by-pitches or errors, including scoring in the third and fourth innings without benefit of a hit in either.

“That’s kind of where we’ve been,” Streator coach Louis Ondrey said. “Like I just said to the girls, we’re still having those mistakes, but as you can see we’re giving a lot more effort to make up for them, we’re starting to come around.”

That resilient effort made for an exciting finish, and made the RBI singles off the bats of Brewer (a Texas leaguer into shallow right-center scoring Makayla Backos) and Rick (a line-drive to right-center, plating Brewer) much needed insurance.

Down 4-1 heading to the bottom of the seventh, Streator used Walkling’s lead off single, a pair of Crusaders fielding errors and a walk drawn by Makenna Ondrey – her third of the day, making up all three of the bases on balls issued by Cuchra – to get the potential winning run on base. A deep fly ball ended the threat, however, and delivered the win to Marquette.

Streator’s Coach Ondrey, however, liked the fight shown by his team even in defeat.

“I did, I did,” he said. “That was some very good fight. We knew [Marquette was] good coming in, but the girls didn’t get down. They came alive there at the end, which I was happy to see. ...

“I’m looking forward to seeing where we are by the end of the season.”

Streator is scheduled to visit Morris for a Saturday morning doubleheader before returning home Monday to host Illinois Central Eight Conference rival Peotone.

Marquette is off until Monday, when the Crusaders start their home-and-home Tri-County Conference series with Henry-Senachwine down in Marshall County.