Mylie Hughes shines in circle with 12 strikeouts, offense scores in spurts as Morris downs Streator

MORRIS – The softball game between Morris and Streator on Saturday morning featured more of what fans have come to expect from Morris: offense that gets the job done and a gem in the circle from Mylie Hughes.

Hughes was sensational, allowing no earned runs while striking out 12. The offense put four runs up in the first inning and added five the rest of the way to give Morris a 9-3 win.

Morris (10-4) entered Saturday’s game having two days off after a 4-3 loss to Ottawa on Wednesday. Hughes showed no signs of rust, while the bats took advantage of six walks with timely hits that produced runs.

“We definitely played [well] today,” Morris coach Jennifer Bamonte said. “I think there were a couple of times we could’ve opened it up a bit more, but overall I’m very satisfied.

“Mylie had a great game overall in the circle even though her pitches weren’t moving how they normally do. When you don’t have your best day and still performed like she did, you can’t ask for much more than that.”

Last season Morris went 18-12 with a young and relatively inexperienced team, so the natural conclusion was they would take a step forward this season. With eight of nine starters back, including Hughes, Halie Olson and Cami Pfeifer, that’s been the case so far.

Olson and Pfeifer were a big part of it Saturday’s win. Olson scored two runs, while Pfeifer went 2 for 2 with four RBIs. Hughes went 2 for 4 with two RBIs in addition to her strong pitching.

Morris’ four runs in the first inning came with two outs when Pfeifer’s triple scored three runners, two of whom were walked to load the bases. The bats went cold for two innings, but Morris scored on a triple, an error and a double in the fourth while adding another in the fifth to make it 8-0.

Streator, however, did not give up. With runners on second and third with only one out, Makenna Ondrey struck out a pair to prevent the game’s early end. The Bulldogs then scored a pair of runs in the sixth to avoid a shutout.

Morris scored again on an RBI single by Hughes in the sixth and closed it out right after that.

“We made really good contact with the ball and drove it on offense,” Hughes said. “I think we’re more of a team this year. We all get along together and we’re very collaborative. We talk a lot, and I think that shows this year.”

For Streator (3-11) it was another setback in a season with many. Saturday was the fourth loss in a row for the Bulldogs as the bats managed only five hits, three in the final inning.

While Ondrey struck out 11 batters, seven of Morris’ nine runs were earned as Streator struggled to get going.

“We just need to stay up and stay positive,” Streator assistant coach Lexi Nambo said. “We’re a young team this year. We’re just trying to come in, make solid contact and put runs across the board.”

One moment of celebration for Streator was Ondrey’s 500th career strikeout. She’s fourth all time in program history despite not playing her freshman year.

Morris will next take on Rochelle on Monday. Bamonte is hoping for continued growth, which she’s already seen a lot of this year.

“We don’t have a lot of girls but everyone of them has their role and they do it well,” she said. “We’re young, but very experienced. We’re seeing a lot of maturity at the plate. ...I think that helps us mentally and physically.”