STREATOR – People will tell you pitching is 90% of the game in high school softball, and while that may be true to an extent, that certainly wasn’t as evident during Streator’s game against Illinois Central Eight Conference-leading Herscher.

Herscher’s Zoey Fleischer allowed only four hits in her complete-game effort, but the Tigers’ defense had a lot to do with that total, turning two double plays and taking away several of the Bulldogs’ scoring opportunities with stellar plays in the field during a 9-1 victory Wednesday afternoon.

Fleischer struck out three of the first five Bulldogs she faced, but did not fan another batter the rest of the game, instead pitching to contact and letting her defense work for her. Makenna Ondrey collected two of Streator’s four hits, and Lily Kupec and Lani Zavada the other two, but Herscher stole at least three hits from SHS with great plays on hard-hit balls to keep the Bulldogs (10-12 overall, 5-6 ICE) at bay.

Streator dropped the other meeting at Herscher, 8-4, on Monday.

Herscher (16-5-1, 11-0) has a two-game showdown with one-loss Manteno next week.

“We competed, and that’s what we asked them for at the beginning, but Herscher is just so good defensively,” Streator coach Louis Ondrey said. “They made some really good plays, and that’s what it takes to get it done. Every time we thought we had something going, something would happen.

“Jaelyn threw well, but that lineup is tough all the way through the order. They can hit and hit it hard, and we made a few mistakes that didn’t help her. They capitalized on everything, and they’re very aggressive on the bases, always looking for two bases.

“They’re a good ballclub. They’re in first place and undefeated [in ICE play] for a reason.”

The Tigers scored all the runs they needed in the first inning off SHS starter Jaelyn Blakemore. A slap hit to left by Mia Ruder, a bunt hit by Emma Powers and a sacrifice bunt by Rylee Hartman set up a two-RBI single by Allie Decman. After another hit by Addie Whitaker, Kayna Nelson plated two more runs with a triple to right-center.

Herscher plated single runs in the third and fifth on a double and later a sac fly by Whitaker, two in the sixth on a sac fly by Powers and a wild pitch and one more in the seventh on a three-base error by the Bulldogs and a safety squeeze bunt by Nelson.

Although a double by Kupec and an RBI single by Ondrey came in the Streator fifth, the big lead and some rally-stopping web gems made life easier for Fleischer.

After Lani Zavada’s two-out single in the second, Herscher third baseman Whitaker made a diving backhand stop of a smash by Mya Zavada and turned it into a force-out at second. In the fifth with two on and one out, Fleischer snagged a smash by Rylee Talty for a force at third, and finally centerfielder Ruder made a tumbling shoestring catch of a fly ball by Maci Byers leading off the sixth.

The Tigers also had double plays in the third and later in the sixth.

“Tonight we made some great plays, turned a couple of double plays,” Herscher coach Mike Cann said. “Zoey is a contact pitcher, and she does a great job. Having just the one [harmless] error in two games gives our pitchers the luxury of challenging their hitters a little bit more, because the rest of the defense has their back.

“Streator is always a tough ballclub, and this is always a tough place to play, so taking the air out of them early with that first inning was a big key for us.”