Softball: La Salle-Peru honors seniors, routs Plano

PERU – Before Wednesday’s Interstate 8 Conference game against Plano, the La Salle-Peru softball team honored its nine seniors.

Then the six healthy seniors played a key role in the game.

All six had either a run, an RBI or both as the Cavaliers rolled to a 15-0 four-inning victory.

“I thought we played really well,” senior Laurel Politsch said. “We had a lot of fun for Senior Night, which was good to see.

“It meant a lot [to get a big win on Senior Night]. It showed all the hard work we’ve put in the last four years.”

L-P coach Randy Huebbe was pleased with his players’ ability to put the festivities behind them and turn their attention to the game.

“Considering it’s Senior Night, which is really hard to keep their attention, I thought they did really well,” Huebbe said. “They were really focused this game. It was a little slower pitching, and they stayed back and put the bat on the ball. They didn’t try killing the ball, and that’s what I’ve been preaching. They really did that, and I was proud of them.”

The Cavs started strong in the first inning as senior Evin Becker hit a two-run single.

“Considering it’s Senior Night, which is really hard to keep their attention, I thought they did really well.”

—  Randy Huebbe, L-P softball coach

L-P broke the game open by batting around in the second and third innings. The Cavs scored six runs in the second and another seven in the third.

Politsch opened the second with a triple to right field. She later stole second and scored on a single by Chloe Mitchell.

Freshman Lydia Steinbach and sophomore Callie Mertes hit back-to-back RBI doubles, senior Taylor Martyn and Becker added RBI singles, and junior Ava Lambert hit a sacrifice fly to cap the inning.

In the third, Mertes and Lambert ripped RBI doubles, while Martyn, Becker, Politsch and Izzy Pohar drove in a run each.

“I thought we played well,” said Becker, who finished 3 for 3 with four RBIs. “We strung a lot of hits together, and we definitely played as a team.”

Mitchell and Mertes combined for a no-hitter.

Mitchell pitched the first two innings, striking out two batters and walking one, while Mertes struck out three and walked one.

“She just threw,” Huebbe said about Mertes. “A lot of times she gets nervous. I told her to just throw and have fun out there, and she was.”

For Plano (5-19, 0-12), Taylor Downs drew a walk to lead off the game, moved to second on a groundout and took third on a passed ball before being stranded.

The Reapers’ only other base runner was Maddy Leftridge, who drew a walk to start the fourth before stealing second.

She eventually was caught in a rundown and thrown out for the second out of the inning.

The L-P seniors honored before the game were Becker, Lannen, Martyn, Mitchell, Pohar, Politsch, Brooklyn Lowery, Avah Moriarty and Emma Hocking.

Lowery and Moriarty were injured in recent games, while Hocking has missed the entire season because of injury.

“Considering I’ve had three of them for four years and another two or three of them for three years, a night like tonight is pretty tough,” Huebbe said. “They mean a lot to us. They’re going to be hard to replace.

“These seniors have really taken a lot of these kids under their wings. They know what I want, and they’re really putting it forth, so it’s making it easier on me. That’s what I think I’m going to miss the most.”

L-P (22-3, 11-1) plays a home doubleheader Thursday against Rochelle in a conference matchup and Serena in a nonconference game. The Cavs play at Morris on Friday looking to close on the conference season with a share of the title before hosting Auburn for a doubleheader Saturday.