Dairy Queen tops MJ Track Works for Streator Girls Softball 14U city title

The opening inning of Wednesday’s Streator Girls Softball 14-and-under city championship game proved to the be the key one on a hot evening at Bodznick Memorial Park.

The Dairy Queen squad batted around the order, scoring five runs in the top of the first, then retired MJ Track Works in order in the bottom of the frame. Dairy Queen would then score five more runs in the second on its way to a 13-6 victory.

“We’ve been talking all season long about giving a best effort, having energy and being focused,” Dairy Queen coach Grant Lesak said. “When we didn’t have those things this season, we played some ugly softball. Today we had all of those things, and it showed.

“Our defense was really good today, maybe the best we’ve played all season. I feel like from the beginning of the season until today, the girls have really improved in every aspect.”

Dairy Queen took advantage of four dropped-third strikes, a pair of errors and had Izzy Hill and Izabella Josephson draw bases-loaded walks in the first. Then with Ariella Smith in the circle, a pair of great plays at shortstop by Scarlet Lesak was followed by second baseman Cami Jones recording a heads-up, unassisted putout at first.

“I like playing shortstop because I feel like after the pitcher makes a pitch, I’m the captain, I’m supposed to be in charge,“ said Scarlet Lesak, who later made two more solid plays in the field. ”It was really cool that today I was able to have a bunch of chances to get outs.“It was fun.”

Dairy Queen tallied five more runs in the second, four via wild pitches/passed balls and the last on an RBI single by Makenna Davies.

MJ Track Works scored three times in the second, the key hit an RBI double down the left-field line by Lexi Davis.

“That top of the first was a tough one. Then we hit three balls pretty well in the bottom of the inning, but credit them for making the plays and sending us back on to the field quickly,” MJ Track Works coach Nick Arevalo said. “Even after that tough start, I loved the way this team kept with it. They didn’t get down and kept fighting.

“At the start of the season, many of the girls didn’t have confidence batting. We were watching too many good pitches go by. I kept on them about swinging the bat, and as the season went along and they started doing that more and making contact the confidence improved. It showed here today. I thought we swung the bats pretty well.”

In the Dairy Queen fourth, a leadoff single by Smith started a three-run rally. MJ Track Works pushed across two runs in its final at-bats, one scoring on a Davis single into short left.

Davis had started a double play in the third, grabbing a live drive at third base and making a perfect toss to first before the runner could scramble back.

“I normally hit the ball up the middle, but today I guess I was swinging a little harder and faster,” said Lexi Davis. “Today was the first time I’ve ever played third base. She hit that ball, and I started coming at me, and I panicked for a second. Once I caught it, I saw the girls still running toward second and knew I had to make a good throw to first. I was so happy it made it there.

“We didn’t win today, but it was a fun summer.”

Smith (2 IP, 1 K) and Hadley Davies (2 IP, 4 K) shared time in the circle for Dairy Queen; while Priscilla Arevalo (3 IP, 9 K) and Lily Day (1 IP, 1K) combined pitching efforts for MJ Track Works.