It looked like Mexico would be able to end Thursday's game in five innings after the first inning.
That was the result as the Lady Bulldogs defeated North Central Missouri Conference foe Hannibal (1-6, 0-3 NCMC) 10-0 in five innings thanks largely to a seven-run first inning. Mexico (5-8, 2-1 NCMC) finished with 13 hits and six doubles to win their second straight game against a conference and district opponent following a 5-2 win at Kirksville on Monday.
"We were aggressive really early, and it was kind of nice for all of the girls to trade spots at second," head coach Hanna Branch said when referring to three straight RBI doubles Mexico had in the first inning. "That's a dream scenario. They were looking for pitches they could drive, stay on top of and be on time. They did a great job of keeping it simple with their approach."
Hannah Loyd led off the game by reaching on an infield error but finished 2-for-4 with a RBI double and her third home run of the season with a solo home run in the third inning. Keerstan Ewing went 3-for-4 with two RBI she picked up on the walk-off single in the fifth inning, Landri Teel was 2-for-4 with a RBI double and Alyssa Miller finished 2-for-3 with a RBI. In the circle, Aleigha Henderson pitched five innings with three hits, three strikeouts and one walk.
"People were very on it and were watching what the pitcher was throwing," Loyd said. "They were doing what they were supposed to do with the pitch. Everybody has been working hard on their hitting and making adjustments."
Mexico plays at Centralia (8-2) at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Look for the full story in the Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, edition of the Mexico Ledger.
