In the early innings of Saturday’s nonconference softball game against Coal City, Morris pitcher Mylie Hughes gave up a few hits. The Coalers even got a run off of Hughes, who had never beaten Coal City in her previous three seasons.

But, just as Morris got the Ottawa monkey off their backs Thursday, they were able to rally and Hughes got tougher as the game went on. The result was a 4-1 win that capped the regular season for Morris with a 27-6 record. Coal City, meanwhile, will enter the postseason next week with a record of 18-15.

Even though the Coalers touched her for six hits in the first three innings, Hughes retired 15 of the final 16 batters she faced after Coal City scored its run in the top of the third. In that inning, Khloe Picard led off the winning with a double, then came home to score on a single by Masyn Kuder. Hughes then began her 15 of 16 streak with a pair of strikeouts and a grounder to short. She finished the day with 13 strikeouts, allowing seven hits.

“My fastball was working really well today, especially the movement I was getting on it,” Hughes said. “My screwball also worked well. That’s pretty much what I used on their left-handed hitters and it worked well.

“I know that if I can keep our team in the game that our offense will score some runs. We have so many good hitters that we are bound to score at some point, so I want to give us as good a chance to win as I can.”

After Coal City took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third, Hughes’ teammates quickly got her the lead. In the bottom of the third, Ella Urbasek led off with a single. An out later, she went to second on a single by Halie Olson and both runners sprinted home on a double to left-center by Aubrey McConnell.

Morris added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the sixth. Tessa Shannon led off with a walk, then came around to score on a double by Olson. McConnell (2 for 3, 2 doubles, 3 RBIs) then doubled again to left-center, scoring Olson.

“I thought Tessa Shannon had a huge at-bat for us in the sixth,” Morris coach Jen Bamonte said. “She fell behind 0-2 to lead off the inning and ended up drawing a walk to turn the lineup over. Halie and Aubrey are almost automatic right now, so the bottom of the order getting on is huge for us.

“Mylie is one of those pitchers that, if you don’t get to her early, you’re not going to. She gets stronger as the game goes on. She is only two away from 500 strikeouts for her career, so that will be exciting when she gets it.”

For Coal City, it was an example of a game in which the Coalers did just about everything well except come away with a win.

“We played pretty well,” Coaler coach Rodney Monbrum said. “Early on, we got some hits and had some runners on, but we didn’t get the big two-out hit when we needed it. We struck out too many times today.

“Masyn Kuder pitched one of her better games of the year and we did a lot of good things. We played good defense and turned a double play. Now, we have to continue to play well with the postseason coming up.”