Girls Softball

There weren’t too many zeroes put up on the scoreboard Monday when Rock Falls hosted Oregon in a Big Northern Conference softball clash.The teams combined for 32 runs, 31 hits and 26 RBIs as the Hawks avenged a loss earlier this season with a 21-11 win in six innings.

Richmond-Burton faces Marengo in a Kishwaukee River Conference softball game on Monday, May 6, 2024, at Marengo High School.

In yet another tight game between longtime Three Rivers rivals Newman and Morrison, the Fillies answered the Comets' comeback with a clutch hit by Emery Brewer in the 10th inning to pick up a 7-5 win on Friday afternoon in Sterling.

Princeton freshman Avah Oertel had a game to remember Monday against Newman. In a 10-2 Three Rivers East win over the rival Comets, she went 2 for 2 with a pair of two-run home runs and two walks.

Huntley faces Prairie Ridge in a Fox Valley Conference softball game on Monday, April 29, 2024, at Prairie Ridge High School in Crystal Lake.

Sauk Valley area softball teams have shown signs of potential in the first month-and-a-half of the season. Sterling and Fulton have emerged as top teams in the region, while Morrison and Dixon are trending upward.

Burlington Central faces Cary-Grove in a Fox Valley Conference softball game on April 22, 2024 at Cary-Grove High School.

Harvard faces Marengo in a Kishwaukee River Conference softball game on Thursday, April 11, 2024, at Marengo High School.

In a Thursday nonconference game at Reynolds Field, Newman and Dixon battled each other and the rain. After three innings of play in the downpour, the game was called off with the Comets ahead 3-0.

Senior first baseman Ady Waldschmidt doubled and came around to score on an error as Sterling pulled off a 3-2, nine-inning win over Rockridge on Wednesday.

Rock Falls came out swinging in the first two innings Tuesday against Dixon at Reynolds Field. With an eight-run cushion after the first two frames, the Rockets had room for error. They took full advantage in a 13-6 win over the Duchesses.

After a fast start, Oregon kept its foot on the gas pedal on Friday afternoon at Oregon Park West, defeating Dixon 11-1 in five innings in the Big Northern Conference opener for both teams.

It was a big game for Rock Falls batters Thursday against Forreston. In a 17-2, four-inning win over the Cardinals, the Rockets racked up 14 hits, including two home runs.

Morrison junior pitcher Bella Duncan is off to a sizzling start this season. During a 3-game stretch last week, she hit 2 home runs, tossed 36 strikeouts, and allowed only 7 hits and 5 runs in 17 innings. Duncan has been voted the SVM Athlete of the Week for March 11-17.

The 2023 high school softball season was an exciting one in the Sauk Valley area. 2024 has plenty of intrigue as the season begins. Here are five storylines to keep an eye on this year.