Mexico allowed four runs and had to make a pitching change in the first inning on Thursday but won its district opener regardless.
In the first round of the Class 4 District 5 tournament in Hannibal, the Lady Bulldogs won 14-4 in five innings in their first ever meeting with Holt. Mexico (15-14) stole 12 bases while Holt finished with six errors to help the Lady Bulldogs to advance to Saturday's 1:30 p.m. semifinal matchup with No. 2 seed and state No. 10 St. Dominic (17-6). Hannah Loyd, Maddy Feger and Keerstan Ewing each stole three bases. Feger (2-for-4 with three runs) and Loyd (0-for-1 three runs) each stole home in the first two innings, Landri Teel (2-4 with two RBI and a triple) tied the game with a RBI triple in the second inning before a Payton Shaw RBI groundout gave Mexico the lead for good. Aleigha Henderson recorded the final 13 outs for the Lady Bulldogs, striking out four, walking three and allowing one hit. Holt (4-13) only had two hits compared to Mexico's seven.
Mexico faces St. Dominic for the first time since 2018. That season, both teams were in Class 3 and the Lady Bulldogs went on to win their most recent state championship after beating the Lady Crusaders 8-1 in sectionals.
Look for the full story Friday on the Mexico Ledger website.
