Prairie Ridge‘s Reese Mosolino looked like her old self Thursday against Huntley.

And that’s not good news for opposing batters.

After recently returning after missing multiple weeks with a dislocated rib, the Wolves’ senior and Indiana commit shut down the hot-hitting Red Raiders to the tune of one unearned run, and a four-run fourth propelled Prairie Ridge to a 5-1 Fox Valley Conference softball win over Huntley in Crystal Lake.

“She was just spectacular today,” Wolves coach Scott Busam said of Mosolino, last year’s Northwest Herald Softball Player of the Year. “That is the best we’ve seen her all year and maybe the healthiest we’ve seen her. I don’t think those two are unrelated.”

The Wolves (14-6, 10-4), last year’s FVC champion, handed the Red Raiders (22-6, 12-2) their second conference loss of the spring while also snapping Huntley’s eight-game winning streak.

Mosolino allowed just the one unearned run on three hits and no walks against Huntley, while throwing 65 of 91 pitches for strikes in a complete game. The right-hander has saved some of her best performances for Huntley, including a no-hitter during her sophomore year.

“The one thing you can’t argue against with Reese Mosolino is that she’s a gamer,” Busam said. “When she shows up with that attitude of this is a big game and my team needs me ... that is when she is at her absolute best. When she’s in the big moment, she thrives on that and that’s where she wants to be. I think that’s her best attribute.”

“Her movement, she’s elite,” Huntley coach Mark Petryniec said. “She didn’t go deep into counts, was getting ahead, and she’s a very difficult pitcher to get to when it’s positive counts on her end. We just didn’t make strong contact today.”

Mosolino, who helped the Wolves take third at the Class 3A state tournament last spring, said it was difficult being sidelined and not being able to contribute in the field.

“It was hard sitting in the dugout because I felt like I couldn’t do much,” Mosolino said. “I knew I’d probably be able to overcome it, but it was upsetting because it’s my senior year.”

Mosolino and Huntley starter Layla Olson both retired the first nine batters they faced. In the top of the fourth, a fielding error and wild pitch allowed Katelyn Bayness to reach second with one out. After a groundout, Lyla Ginczycki hit the first pitch she saw from Mosolino into center field to score the game’s first run.

Prairie Ridge, though, came back with four runs in the bottom half of the inning, getting an RBI double from Bella Moore (2 for 3), a run-scoring single by Reese Vrba, and a two-run single by freshman Olivia Swiderek, making her first varsity start.

Swiderek’s single into right field just eluded the diving attempt of Lana Hobday. It was the freshman’s first varsity hit and RBIs.

“I was looking for that first strike and didn’t get it and then I was just looking for anything close,” said Swiderek, who added a walk in the sixth. “I just swung away. ... It’s been really fun (on varsity). I love all the girls. It’s been a great experience.”

Moore’s RBI double tied the game, a half-inning after she was unable to handle a hot shot at third base that led to Huntley’s only run.

“No matter what happens in the field we come back and bounce back and we get those runs back,” Moore said of the four-run fourth, which started on an infield hit by Kylie Carroll. “When I stepped in there I knew that’s what my team needed. We had a runner in scoring position and you don’t know how often you’re going to get that against Huntley.”

Morgan Powal added an RBI double over left fielder Piper Heimbrodt’s head in the sixth for Prairie Ridge against Huntley junior starter Layla Olson, who allowed five runs on seven hits in 5⅓ innings. She struck out two and walked two.

Huntley now leads the FVC by a half game over Hampshire with four games remaining. The Raiders are trying to win their fifth conference title in the past six seasons. Prairie Ridge ended Huntley’s streak of four straight FVC titles last year.

“We’ve got one more week in conference and if we win out, we’ll be OK,” Petryniec said.