Marquette baseball and softball open season with wins: The Times Monday Roundup

Baseball

Marquette 10, Lexington 0 (6 inn): At Masinelli Field in Ottawa, the Crusaders scored five runs in the third, four in the fourth and one in the sixth to open the season with a victory over the Minutemen.

Marquette pounded out 15 hits, including a 3 for 3 day from Jaxsen Higgins, and two hits each from Alec Novotney, Griffin Dobberstein (triple, RBI), Anthony Couch (home run, 2 RBI) and Grant Dose (double, 3 RBI). Keaton Davis, Payton Guttierez and Easton Debernardi all recorded an RBI.

Novotney (2 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 5 K), Dobberstein (Win, 2 2/3 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 4 K) and Couch (1 1/3 IP, 3 K) combined efforts on the mound in the shutout.

Somonauk 13, Stillman Valley 3 (5 inn.): The Bobcats led by two before exploding for eight runs in the fourth in their season opener.

Somonauk starting pitcher Landon Johnson (Win, 3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K) and Aldo Resendez (2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K) combined efforts on the mound.

Alex Barnes (double, RBI) had three hits for the Bobcats, with Noah Brandt (double, 3 RBI), Luke Hartsell (RBI) and Brady Andrews (RBI) each collecting a pair of hits.

Fieldcrest 6, Roanoke-Benson 5: At Wenona, the Knights scored broke a tie with a Lucas Anson RBI double in the bottom of the sixth to open the season with a win over the Rockets.

Anson (3 IP, 5 K) picked up the win in relief of starter Layten Gerdes (4 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K). Drew Overocker had two RBI, and Jordan Heider, Gerdes and Lucas May a single run batted in.

Softball

Marquette 8, Lexington 5: At June Gross Field in Ottawa, the Crusaders scored six times in the fifth in the season-opening triumph over the Minutemen.

Kelsey Cuchra led Marquette with three hits, including a home run, and three RBIs. Hunter Hopkins added two hits, while Makayla Backos (double), Kealey Rick, Caleigh Rick and Kinley Rick all posted runs batted in.

Kinley Rick (4 1/3 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K) earned the win in the circle in relief of starter Taylor Cuchra (2 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 2 K).

Prairie Central 16, Woodland/Flanagan-Cornell 1 (4 inn.): At Fairbury, the Warriors allowed eight runs in the first inning in the loss to the Hawks.

Emma Palaschak had WFC’s lone hit and also walked, while Addyson Ewing scored the visitors run.