Softball: Barnes' homer leads Burlington Central past Marengo

For 6 innings, Burlington Central struggled to make contact. Then, in the seventh inning, the Rockets couldn't miss.

After striking out 13 times, the Rockets pounded out 5 hits In their final at-bat. They scored 4 runs in the process to pull out a 7-4 Kishwaukee River softball win at Marengo.

Winning pitcher Julia Barnes' 3-run homer over the left-field fence capped the rally after Marengo had taken a 4-3 lead on back-to-back homers by Leah Secor and Riley Connell in the fourth.

Eighth hitter Maissie Raabe led off the seventh with a triple into the right-field corner. One out later, Kristina Ahlers was walked. Gretchen Schrubbe followed with a single to left to tie it. Then Barnes drove one over the fence in straightaway left to put the Rockets on top.

"They don't quit," said Rockets' coach Erica Snyder. "They pick each other up and just keep fighting. You need a lot of that, too. It's not just the physical part, it's mentally saying that we're not giving up. We're going until we've got those 21 outs and let's just see what happens."

The Rockets (11-6, 8-1) avenged their only conference loss.

Barnes' hit was the key.

"I was 0 for 3, and in the last at-bat I just wanted to put it in play because I knew there was a runner on third representing the winning run," she said.

In the circle, Barnes kept the Indians off-balance with change-ups. It worked, except for the fourth inning, when Secor and Connell both went deep to left.

Ahlers had pretty much been the Rockets' offense for six innings. She tripled on the game's first pitch and clubbed doubles in her next 2 at-bats. She scored the Rockets' first run and drove in the second. They added a run in the fourth on a pair of errors by Marengo.

The Rockets' offense appeared dead in the water, however, after Marengo starter Mariah Dionne fanned the side in the sixth. Dionne finished with 14 strikeouts against 1 semi-intentional walk.

Barnes, by contrast, pitched to contact. She struck out just 2. The Indians left 10 runners on base, as Barnes was able to escape trouble when necessary. With 2 on and none out in the sixth, she induced 3 straight groundball outs to get out of it.