Pitching, hitting and defense all deserved equal credit for visiting Burlington Central on Thursday after the Rockets dropped Hampshire 11-0 in five innings for the second time this season in Big Northern Conference East Division action.
Senior Erica Maisto twirled a two-hitter -- both singles -- with six strikeouts and no walks and was backed by flawless defense and a 14-hit attack.
The win allowed the Rockets, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A by the Illinois Coaches Association, to record their 15th straight victory and clinch at least a share of the program's fourth straight BNCE crown.
Among the defensive highlights was a first-inning double play turned by junior shortstop Kayla Oranger -- who fielded a hard grounder, stepped on second base and fired to first to end the inning -- and a running catch against the fence in the fifth by freshman right fielder Katie Maleski that robbed Jordan Moore of an extra-base hit.
"I told them that I thought they did everything well today," said Central assistant coach Wade Maisto, managing in place of Scot Sutherland, who was attending an annual driver education function. "We just came out and took care of business."
Maisto (12-0) allowed a leadoff infield single to Ally Kent in the bottom of the first inning. She then retired 13 straight batters before Tegan Singleton ripped a solid single with two outs in the fifth.
In between, the Rockets (23-1, 9-0) rattled off two runs in each of the first three innings before hanging five runs on the scoreboard in the fourth.
"Finally, my curveball was really good," Erica Maisto said. "(The umpire) was calling the corners and I liked that. My teammates made some great plays behind me and I thank them for that."
Oranger, Central's leadoff hitter, reached base in all four plate appearances -- walk, triple, single, hit-by-pitch -- scoring three runs with three stolen bases. In all, five players had at least two hits for Central against three Hampshire pitchers. Maisto contributed two hits and a team-high three RBIs, including a deep two-run double in the third inning.
"We really hit the ball hard. Even a lot of our outs were hard outs today," Wade Maisto said. "I feel any of the nine that are in the lineup can contribute and get on (base)."
Singleton started the game for Hampshire, but lasted 3 2/3 innings, allowing nine hits and nine runs. She was followed by Ally Kent and Katie McBride, who set down three of the four batters she faced in the top of the fifth.
"Facing a team like Burlington Central is tough, but this will just make us better in the long run," Hampshire coach Ken Bram said. "It's good to get more reps against quality pitching. That will help us be ready for anything in the playoffs."
Oranger led off the game with a four-pitch walk and scored one batter later on a ringing triple by Ashley Scheffler (2-for-4, 2 RBIs). Ahead 2-0, the Rockets added two in the second inning after a walk, an RBI triple by Oranger and a single by Scheffler. Up 6-0 in the fourth, Central tallied seven hits -- six singles -- to knock out Singleton. Sam Gruner (2 RBIs), Maisto and pinch-hitter Jessica Hermann all had RBI hits to fuel the outburst.
The Whip-Purs slipped to 14-10 overall and 4-4 in league play.
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