Princeton rallies late to top Rock Falls in extra innings

ROCK FALLS – After playing small ball to tie the game in the seventh inning, a big swing helped Princeton win it in the eighth.

An inning after three straight bunt singles led to the tying run, Kiyrra Morris’ RBI double to left field drove in Sam Woolley with the winning run in the Tigresses’ 3-2 victory over Rock Falls on Thursday afternoon.

“I’ve been working on certain things, and my last at-bat I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to, so I knew that I needed to tighten it up,” Morris said. “I was just working on keeping my front leg straight because I knew if I did that, I’d be set and good to go. I felt that contact, and it just kept going.”

[ Photos from Princeton at Rock Falls softball ]

Woolley started the eighth with a single past the shortstop, then Morris hit a sinking liner to left that Rock Falls’ Kacie Witherow ran hard for but couldn’t get to. It rolled to the fence, and Woolley scored from first for the go-ahead run.

The previous inning, Princeton (2-1) tied the game without the ball leaving the infield.

Trailing 2-1, Kayla Hecht led off with a bunt single toward first. Leadoff hitter Keely Lawson followed with another bunt in almost the same spot, and she too beat it out. Lawson tripped over Rock Falls first baseman Abbi Watts, and Hecht went to third and rounded the base; the Rockets threw home, and Lawson scampered to second.

Caroline Keutzer then beat out her second bunt single of the game, and when the Rockets threw to first, Hecht took off from third and beat the throw home; Keutzer advanced to second.

“I knew we had speed on the bases, so I knew if we just put the ball on the ground, we could keep running and score that run,” Keutzer said. “I just wanted to keep bunting, put the ball on the ground because I trust my speed to outrun it. Even if I get it on the ground and make an out, I know the runners have moved up into scoring position.”

“We feed off of each other, and that’s how we get most of our hits and runs,” Morris added. “So it was good to get something going in the seventh, and I knew once we were there [in the eighth], it would hopefully keep going on and on for us.”

But like she had done all game, Rock Falls pitcher Zoey Silva limited the damage, stranding runners at second and third with a popout, strikeout and groundout to preserve the tie.

She did it again in the eighth, catching a pop-up bunt and doubling off Morris at second to keep the deficit at one run.

“Hitting my spots, pitching what and where I needed to pitch, that was big,” said Silva, who struck out six and walked three. “I definitely trust my defense, and it’s a huge boost for me. If I just hit my spots and they hit the ball, no big deal, we’re going to make the play and get the out.

“I feel like we all came together really well this game. We started off really rocky this season, and I feel like we’re now starting to gel together.”

Princeton left five runners in scoring position through the first three innings. Rockets center fielder Jeslyn Krueger threw out a runner at home, Watts threw out a runner at third, and Silva had big strikeouts in each inning to help keep the Tigresses off the scoreboard.

Rock Falls (1-4) struck first, as Witherow singled with one out in the third, then stole second base and scored on Krueger’s two-out base hit to left.

Princeton finally cashed in a chance in the top of the fifth, as Keutzer beat out a bunt, advanced to second on Avah Oertel’s single, and went to third on Kelsea Klingenberg’s infield single – then sprinted home to score after stopping and waiting to see if the Rockets would throw to first.

But Rock Falls answered right back in the bottom of the inning, as Krueger singled, went to third on Kendra Scott’s single, then scored on a passed ball to retake the lead.

“It helped a lot on offense that we were keeping them down, not letting them score on defense. It took a lot of weight off everyone’s shoulders,” Krueger said. “This game is definitely going to help put a lot of confidence in our girls to help us this season.”

Princeton pitchers Reese Reviglio (4 1/3 innings) and Piper Hansen (3 2/3 innings) combined to strike out nine and walk just one.