It didn’t take very long for Marquette Academy‘s starting pitcher and leadoff hitter Hunter Hopkins to leave her mark in the Cru’s win over Woodland/Flanagan-Cornell on Thursday in Ottawa.

Hopkins started the game with two strikeouts in a scoreless first half-inning, and when she stepped up to the plate to lead off, she squared up a pitch and launched a home run to center field.

It was off from there, as the Cru proceeded to put up an eight-run first inning followed by a 10-run second inning to clinch an 18-0, mercy-rule victory.

Hopkins did more than just hit a leadoff home run. She took full advantage of every plate appearance, going 3 for 3 with three over-the-fence home runs.

“Three home runs, and she pitched lights-out. There’s really not much more you can ask for,” Marquette coach Curtiss Johnson said of Hopkins. “She competes every time out, and these types of performances are nothing new to us at this point. She’s a top-notch competitor in this area.

“I honestly don’t know if there’s anyone better.”

Marquette improves to 10-2 overall, 3-0 in the Tri-County Conference.

Hopkins drove in eight runs and earned the win pitching, with the rest of the Crusaders lineup doing its part as well. Third baseman Lily Brewer went 2 for 3 with three RBIs, right fielder Taylor Gamons went 1 for 1 with an RBI, and center fielder Emily Ryan-Adair went 1 for 1 with two RBIs and a walk.

While there was certainly a lot to be pleased with, Johnson said he was mostly impressed with his team’s plate discipline and hustle defensively.

“I thought our girls were very disciplined today,” he said. “We talked about that all week – staying in the zone, staying within ourselves and sticking to our approach.”

For the Warriors – now 0-4 both overall and in the TCC – head coach Sydney Plekso said this early part of the season has been simply about playing hard and getting her younger players experience at the varsity level.

“We have a lot of freshmen this year, so it’s definitely been a point of emphasis for us to grow from these games,” Plekso said. “We have a lot of conversations about trusting the process - reminding my team that these girls we compete against have been in their shoes before. Sometimes they have three or four years of experience over us. We just tell our girls to go out there, do their best and leave it all on the field. ...

“I do think they’re starting to find their confidence and approach, though. We’re starting to have more quality at-bats. Once they gain that experience and clean up the little mistakes, I know we’ll be a lot better for it.”

Nevertheless, Plekso emphasized how talented the Cru’s roster is and wants her team to play against tough competition.

“Credit to Marquette, for sure,” she said. “We’re in a really strong conference, and a lot of these teams are super talented, and many have almost all of their starters back.”

With limited at-bats, catcher Kaylee Henert and third baseman Teagan Rich collected the Warriors’ only hits.