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The Parkway South junior righthander suffered through a month long illness in August that slowed her activities considerably

"It was like a fever and a cough," Moretti said. "I lost 10 pounds, I just didn't feel good for the longest time."

The virus eventually went away without being diagnosed.

That setback was placed in the rear-view mirror Wednesday as Moretti turned in a gutsy performance to lead the Patriots to a 7-4 win over Eureka in a battle of upcoming district opponents in the shadow of Highway 109.

Parkway South (9-7) beat Eureka (8-6) for the second time in 15 days following a 9-4 triumph in the Parkway Tournament.

Moretti struggled to get back into form during the early part of the campaign. The No. 2 starter behind senior ace Madison Sherry, she carried a 1-4 record and an 8.17 ERA into Wednesday's contest.

Yet she hardly looked the part of her statistics, allowing four runs on just six hits. She gave up runs in the just two innings to post a complete game triumph.

"It's great to have my defense behind me because I'm not much of a strikeout pitcher," said Moretti who fanned just one batter. "I felt like I was hitting my spots and mixing things up a lot."

Moretti stumbled in just one inning, allowing three runs on three hits in the second.

"Her ERA is misleading," Parkway South coach Dave McFarland said. "Getting sick hurt her, but now she's getting back to where she needs to be."

Moretti retired six of the last seven hitters she faced and set the side down in order in the first and seventh innings.

"I like to make the most of every chance I get," said Moretti of her sixth start of the season.

Parkway South sophomore infielder Brookley Ware was overjoyed to see Moretti return to form.

"Even when she wasn't hitting her spots, she was still close, still right there," said Ware, who has been playing alongside Moretti since the sixth grade. "Most of the time, she was really on today."

Ware triggered a 10-hit attack with a 3-for-3 performance. She reached base in all four trips to plate.

"I'm used to hitting leadoff and even when I don't get on we've got others who will get things started," Ware said.

Ware scored three times and also ripped a run-scoring hit in the fourth inning that gave the Patriots the lead to stay 4-3. She walked and scored an insurance run in the seventh on a triple by senior Elle Haston.

Haston, Moretti and sophomore Carrie Naeger had two hits each for the Patriots, who scored in five of the seven innings.

"We started the season off slow, but we're starting to come into our own a little bit," McFarland said. "These girls are starting to figure out their own identity."

Ware got the ball rolling by slamming the second pitch of the game down the left field line for a triple. Just two offerings later, Naeger pushed the first run across with an infield single. 

The Patriots flashed their baserunning skills when two runners scored on the same wild pitch in the third to snap a 1-all tie.

Eureka senior Alex Dodge tied the game with a two-run hit in the third before the Patriots jumped to the lead with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings.

The Wildcats, who have lost five of seven, received a two-hit performance from junior Maddy Wilken. Junior shortstop Gracie Mazzola had a hit and turned in the defensive play of the day by ranging deep into the hole to throw out a runner in the final frame.

Mazzola is an NCAA Division I prospect whose sister Sophi plays at the University of Washington of the Big Ten Conference.

"This was very frustrating," Mazzola said of the loss. "Our hitting was not on today. We're normally better than that."

Parkway South has been quietly picking up momentum with six wins in its last seven games after a 3-6 start to the season.

"We're improving," Ware said. "There's still room to get a lot better."