Dixon shut out by hot Belvidere North team to open postseason

DIXON – Once Belvidere North starting pitcher Ava Morris settled in, Dixon was unable to find an answer at the plate.

Morris finished with 13 strikeouts, three walks and just three hits allowed in a 6-0 shutout in the Class 3A Dixon Regional semifinal matchup. The Blue Thunder (23-9) won a 17th straight game to face Sterling in Friday’s regional final at 4:30 p.m. at Reynolds Field.

The Duchesses (10-11) got a runner in scoring position in each of the first three innings, but Morris kept Dixon off the scoreboard primarily with her ability to get the swing and miss when needed.

“We just really couldn’t make adjustments,” said Dixon leadoff hitter Bailey Tegeler, who singled. “We tried. That’s what we struggled on all year was making adjustments.”

Dixon pitcher Allie Abell kept the game within reach before BN pulled away with three runs in the fifth. Three unearned runs also were costly in the loss.

Morris said she and the team settled in once the postseason nerves calmed down.

“Throughout the season our team has just really grown together,” Morris said. “We’re hitting really good right now, our fielding is really coming together. We’re making a lot of great plays. I think we’re really just working together good as a team.”

Miley Dobbs had an RBI in the first inning, and Isabelle Schadle hit a two-run home run in the third.

Dixon’s Kiley Gaither led off the seventh inning with a walk, but BN turned a double play and the game ended with a groundout.

“We really just didn’t get that timely hit,” Dixon coach Candi Rogers said. “Those first three innings we had runners in scoring position, we just couldn’t get it through.”

Rogers said the team struggled catching up to Morris’ pitching.

“When we did put it in play, they were right there,” she said. “The double-up right there, the double-up over here.”

Rogers said the Thunder were hitting no matter where Dixon was pitching.

“I’m proud of them for hanging in there and keeping their energy high the entire game,” she said. “The leadership that was shown tonight was great. Not a season to hang our heads about. We accomplished a lot of good things this season and look forward to next year.”

Tegeler will continue her softball career at Indian Hills Community College.

“I really enjoyed playing with this team,” Tegeler said. “We had energy, we always had fun, we never had arguments on the team. We’re all cool with each other.

“We had good games, we had bad games, but if we lost we didn’t really put out heads down. We always bounced back after. There was never a dull moment.”

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 10

Dixon’s Addy Williams is tagged out by Belvidere North’s Miley Dobbs Tuesday, May 27, 2025, during a Class 3A Regional softball game in Dixon. (Alex T. Paschal)