Brady Fox had multiple goals in mind before the season. 

The Mexico senior accomplished two of them on Tuesday night in a Class 4 sectional game at No. 6 Moberly (24-11) by pitching seven innings in Mexico’s 4-1 victory to earn his 16th career win. The No. 9 Bulldogs (24-11) advanced to the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2014.

Fox allowed four hits, three walks, two hit batters and one earned run while he struck out two. He tied Cody Creed on the program's all-time pitching list after breaking a tie with assistant coach Gavin Jones, who pitched for the 2014 team, in his previous win in districts against Winfield. The senior was on his final batter of the game as he was hovering around 105 pitches, but he made sure Mexico stayed away from the bullpen like it has for all three playoff games — with two pitched by Fox.

Mexico at Moberly Sectional Photo Gallery

“It makes it much sweeter to finish the full game no matter if it’s just an out or a pitch or whatever,” Fox said. “It always feels great to go for a complete game.”

Head coach Daniel McCarty said he was concerned about the six-day layoff since Mexico hadn’t played since Wednesday’s 3-2 district championship win against Fulton. However, Fox doing what he does well helped out.

“His fastball was on point, throwing inside and outside just trying to get what the umpire would give him,” McCarty said. “He’s one of those players that focuses on detail, and sure enough, he was hitting his spots and changing his speeds very well tonight.”

McCarty said Fox kept runners off the bases and contributed with his pickoff move. On two occasions, Fox picked off a Moberly runner on his second throw over to first base. He did this once in the bottom of the seventh inning. 

“That’s something he’s been working on in practice in some downtime,” McCarty said. “That was all him. He’s a mastermind on the bump. We feel confident that, if he wants to check over there, check them.”

Mexico was tied with Moberly at 1 after Ashton Hunt’s RBI single in the third inning. It stayed tied until a three-run sixth inning by the Bulldogs. 

There were seven combined hits in the game, but Mexico won the defensive battle with one error compared to Moberly’s three errors. Kyler Fanning started for Moberly and was taken out in the sixth inning after all three of the runs he allowed were unearned.

“The defense,” Fox said when asked for the main reason for his good performance. “I only had two strikeouts the whole game. Every other ball was put in play. There were a bunch of double plays that were big plays in the game.”

Second baseman Chance McCarty was part of one of two double plays turned by the Mexico defense. He said Mexico played good “team baseball” against Moberly, and the double plays are a good example of that.

“We just practice and practice,” McCarty said. “Me and (shortstop) Kaden Benne had a pretty good chemistry there. We just trust each other and know we’re going to be in the right spot at the right time.”

Daniel McCarty said the defense being a big factor plays into Mexico’s central strategy of limiting “freebies,” or limiting the amount of walks, hit batters and errors. He said Mexico usually is in a good position to win if it wins that battle.

Some hitters were in a good position to affect the game when they stepped in the box. McCarty said Zach Jahn executed his first sacrifice bunt of the year to advance the runner at the start of the sixth inning and then that run scored on a Pearson Kleinsorge sacrifice fly for a 2-1 Mexico lead. Eventually, Chance McCarty came up with the bases loaded and a two-RBI single made it 4-1 Mexico.

“It was a relief,” Chance McCarty said. “I had a lot of anxiety there. I wasn’t barreling the balls. I was hitting them well but not barreling them. I was trying to go up there, find some grass and do a job.”

Before that, No. 9 hitter Kinser Groves had a 10-pitch at bat that ended with a walk to load the bases. Groves fouled off four pitches in the encounter.

“I was sitting on deck just watching and it felt like forever,” McCarty said. “I thought my uniform was going to go out of style by then. He got it done and was a team player there. He ran up his pitch count enough where I got a pitch over the plate.”

Mexico doesn’t like extra opposing runners but likes the extra baseball it has earned. The Bulldogs host Orchard Farm (23-8), who received votes in the most recent state poll, at 5 p.m. Thursday in the first team McCarty has led to quarterfinals.

“It’s a great feeling that I get to lead and that the seniors, the team and coaches are coming with me,” McCarty said.