Softball: Late Morris rally keys victory over Rochelle

Redskins put up seven runs in bottom of sixth

MORRIS — Morris softball coach Jen Bamonte shook things up Monday in the Redskins’ Interstate Eight Conference opener against Rochelle.

Most of the same players were in the lineup as usual, but many found themselves hitting in different spots in the order. For example, normal leadoff hitter Kennedy Dransfeldt batted fifth, with Maddy Hughes moving up to the leadoff spot. Grace Lines, usually the third hitter, hit eighth with sophomore Kylee Claypool taking the third spot. Normal cleanup hitter Ella Davis hit seventh, with hot-hitting Taylor Nelson taking over the cleanup position.

In the end, it paid off as Morris erupted for seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, erasing a 3-0 deficit to claim a 7-3 win. Claypool had two hits, an RBI and a run scored in in the inning as she finished the game 3 for 4, while Nelson had an RBI triple and scored a run.

“We just needed to relax a little,” Nelson said. “We were a little tense early, but once we started to relax, we hit better. Kylee started the inning off with a double, then I hit a triple and it was contagious after that.

“We were aggressive, and I feel like this is what we can do. Hopefully this gets our offense going.”

Rochelle scored a run in the top of the first and Morris threatened to equal that or better in the bottom half. Hughes led off with a double off the left-field fence and Jaelyn Wiers followed with a bunt single to move Hughes to third. Wiers did not stop running and ended up on second. Morris (3-3, 1-0) could not score, however, as Rochelle pitcher Bella Lodico induced a comebacker and two strikeouts to end the inning.

Davis held Rochelle scoreless until the top of the sixth, when the Hubs put across two runs on an RBI single by Jordan Dickey and a wild pitch that scored Addie Friested. Claypool came in to pitch, striking out the final two batters to end the inning. Claypool also recorded three strikeouts in the top of the seventh, giving Morris pitchers 15 strikeouts in the contest as Davis had fanned 10 in her 5 1/3 innings.

“Ella and Kylee both pitched very well,” Bamonte said. “And, these are two pitchers who had no varsity experience before this year.”

Claypool led off the bottom of the sixth with a double to center, and Nelson drove her home with a triple to right. Dransfeldt (2 for 3) plated Nelson with a bunt single and went to second when the throw to first got away. Maddy Shannon followed with a two-strike single through the middle to score Dransfeldt and tie the game. Rochelle tried to pick Shannon off of first, but the throw went into right field, allowing Shannon to reach third, and Davis (2 for 3) drove her home with the lead run on a double to right. A bunt single by Lines moved courtesy runner Addison Stacy to third, with Lines continuing to second. An out later, a wild pitch scored Stacy and, after a walk to Hughes, Wiers scored Lines on a sacrifice bunt that moved Hughes to third. Claypool capped the scoring by singling home Hughes.

“We tried a few different things today,” Bamonte said. “We switched the lineup around. We moved Kennedy down, and she wasn’t happy about it, but she went out there and got two hits. We wanted Taylor Nelson to bat cleanup because she has been our hottest hitter, and I couldn’t have asked for any more from Kylee Claypool today.

“This is the kind of team we can be. There isn’t anyone on this team, and that includes the girls on the bench, who can’t come up and change the game with one swing. It was nice for us to come together and play as a team like we did today.”


Rob Oesterle

Rob Oesterle

Rob has been a sports writer for the Morris Herald-News and Joliet Herald-News for more than 20 years.