Hornets’ season finishes on painful note

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ROCK FALLS – Lindsay Melson gave it a go, but it just wasn’t meant to be for the Harvard girls softball team.

The sophomore pitcher struggled through the pain of a cracked rib for an inning, but Rock Falls took advantage of every Harvard mistake in an 11-1, five-inning win Thursday in the semifinals of the IHSA Class 2A Rock Falls Sectional.

“I can tolerate pain, but it just got to the point where I couldn’t anymore,” Melson said after throwing 48 pitches in a four-run first inning. “It’s hard to grasp that the season’s over, but this is a game we’re just going to throw away and never think about again.”

The Hornets (22-10) committed seven errors behind Melson and reliever Iede Rossmiller, and Rock Falls (27-9) took advantage of every one. Despite running themselves out of two big threats on double plays, the Rockets managed to score in every inning. Freshman Jordan Giddings finished things off with a ringing two-run single to cap a four-run fifth, the hit coming after three consecutive Harvard errors.

“It just wasn’t our day,” Harvard coach Connie Weathersby said. “Our bats never got going, we were making errors all over the place ... all I can say is we’re a much better team than we showed out there today.”

While Rock Falls’ offense rolled, senior pitcher Taylor Byrd settled in nicely. She struck out seven without a walk and allowed only three more hits after giving up back-to-back two-out singles in the first.

“We scored early, and that always give me a lot of confidence out there,” Byrd said. “There was no pressure on me today. My teammates really picked me up.”

Rock Falls will play in the championship Saturday against Morrison, while Harvard gets ready for next year.

“We’re a young team, and we’ll bounce back from this,” Weathersby said. “We’ll take the experience of a regional title and move forward.”