One bad inning sinks Mexico, Feger hits two home runs in 10-5 loss to Hallsville

Mexico softball has to have a goldfish memory at certain times.

Mexico vs Hallsville Photo Gallery

Head coach Hanna Branch delivered that message to her players after the Lady Bulldogs committed three errors that allowed four unearned runs to score for Hallsville in the eighth inning on Saturday morning at home. Mexico allowed five runs in the extra frame to lose 10-5 to its district foe, following three hits and five RBI by Maddy Feger that included her first career grand slam and first multi-homer game as a Lady Bulldog.

Branch said there were a few mistakes early in the eighth inning when Hallsville (5-0) stole second base and Mexico (6-5) committed its first error of the frame and then the Lady Indians kept going. Delaney Crocker went 5-for-5 and her fifth hit was a lazy pop fly into right field that scored the winning run.

“We got in our own head,” Branch said. “I talked to them about our mental game and how much it can affect our physical playing. We were down on ourselves, and we weren’t talking like we should. If you focus on that one mistake you made, it’s just going to snowball. It’s important to have a goldfish memory and flush it and move on.”

Branch insisted that final inning wasn’t typical Lady Bulldog softball and the first seven innings were proof of that. In several instances, Mexico made defensive plays that kept Hallsville, who outhit the Lady Bulldogs 18-6, at bay.

Catcher Hannah Loyd picked off a runner at first base, reinforcing her status as a “menace behind the plate” as Branch calls her. Kylie Burnett jumped to make a catch in right field near the fence, robbing the Lady Indians of another extra-base hit to go along with the three they recorded. When Mexico was ahead 4-3 in the fifth inning, Hallsville had the bases loaded with nobody out only for a popout and a 6-2-5 double play — from Jo Thurman to Loyd to Karlee Sefrit — to end the threat.

“A lot of the girls are good thinking about that next play,” Branch said. “It’s cool to see them when they’re on, communicating and being in the right spots, and backing each other up on those.”

Offensively, Brianne Wildenhain struck out 12 Lady Bulldogs and walked one in eight innings pitched. Brooke Teel was 2-for-4 with two stolen bases from the leadoff spot. All of the damage done to Wildenhain’s line was by the sophomore Feger, who saw 14 pitches combined in her home-run at-bats. 

“I just had to avoid the higher pitches because that’s what she was throwing,” Feger said. “I kept fouling them off until she gave me one that I liked.”

Wildenhain allowed her lone walk to Thurman following an eight-pitch at-bat in the first inning to load the bases for Feger, who hit one out to respond to the two-RBI home run by Meredith Blakemore — 4-for-5 with four RBI — in the top of the inning. Claudia Robbins homered to tie the game at 4 in the sixth inning before Elie Cobb’s sacrifice fly gave Hallsville the lead and then Feger circled the bases again in the following half inning.

“Even if the count wasn’t going her way, she reset herself and kept a cool head on her shoulders,” Branch said. “It was crucial she didn’t let the pressure get to her in those moments. To be in that moment at the varsity level against a pitcher who had been throwing a good game, she didn’t let it get to her and you could tell she was in her element when she was up to bat.”

Branch said having the younger players desire to be at the center of crucial moments is welcome as Feger and several others have stepped up this season. Feger has hit .500 and tallied 13 RBI and six extra-base hits.

“I’ve been hitting off the machine more at home, and we’ve been seeing more live pitching at practice so I think that really helps,” Feger said.

Mexico hosted another district foe Centralia (6-4) on Tuesday before playing another potential district matchup at 5 p.m. today in Macon (3-2).

DeMint runs long way for TDs in 55-12 Mexico loss to Odessa

Odessa was familiar to Mexico football after last season’s meeting between the Bulldog teams.

Mexico vs Odessa Photo Gallery (Military Appreciation Night)

After winning 51-47 last year, Mexico couldn’t match Odessa punch-for-punch this season as it lost 55-12 at home. Mexico fell behind 41-12 at halftime thanks to three of its four turnovers being converted into touchdowns by Odessa, who was led by four touchdowns and 274 total yards from quarterback Douryun D’obron.

Head coach Steve Haag said it was tough to face an explosive offense a week after Southern Boone, but the aspect of the opposing Bulldogs that caught his attention was something Mexico couldn’t match this time and what helped Gabe Studdard ran for 134 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.

“They’re bigger, and they’re stronger,” Haag said. “You have to come downhill, you have to be physical and you have to match it. That’s one thing we really didn’t know because I don’t know if we’ve faced a really good run team yet, and they’re a really good running team.”

Mexico displayed some offensive capability as well with DeMint as he ran the ball down the right sideline from 39 yards to make it 35-6 in the second quarter and then shook off a tackle for a 59-yard trek down the right side in the final seconds of the first half. DeMint finished with 153 yards on nine carries.

On defense, DeMint flashed some speed while chasing down an Odessa receiver after a long passing play to prevent a touchdown early in the game. Haag said he knew DeMint could be a key contributor for Mexico.

“Drew has always been Drew,” Haag said. “He’s a tough runner, he’s physical and fast. He’s always been that way, and this year, he gets the opportunity to carry the ball. He’s going to have runs like that, and he’ll have runs more like that in the future. I was impressed he broke that last one because they closed in on him, but he kept his feet going and those guys thought he was going to go down pretty easy.”

DeMint lost one of Mexico’s two fumbles in the game – as the Bulldogs threw two interceptions including one that was returned for a touchdown. Haag said the interceptions thrown by his quarterbacks Tyson Carr and Kaden Benne were the team experimenting and seeing what the kids could do, but the fumbles hurt and need to be ironed out in Mexico’s offense.

“It’s part of what we do,” Haag said. “We’ve got a new quarterback, a new fullback and so they’re meshing. It’s hard to mimic that stuff in practice. Some of those are just trying to get experience and show them what happens in a game. The fumbles are tough.”

Benne was under center in the second quarter as he threw his interception not long after Ashton Belcher picked one off for Mexico. Haag said it was an opportunity to see what Mexico’s third quarterback option could do as the top two ran into injury issues.

Carr had to be helped off the field with a leg issue and Haag said he was taken to the hospital for an x-ray. He said Fisher’s hand was stepped on so the team was being cautious by keeping him sidelined.

“If they (Fisher and Carr) get healthy, you probably won’t see Benne (at quarterback), but he showed us some good things,” Haag said. “You never know.”

Mexico (0-3) continues its season at 7 p.m. Friday in its North Central Missouri Conference opener at Marshall (1-1).

“We’re just young,” Haag said. “I know it’s going to be a theme throughout the year, but every play and every down is going to make us stronger for next year. We’re going to get better as the year goes on.”

Bulldogs boys soccer passes past Chillicothe 2-1

Mexico’s passing was on point on Saturday.

The Bulldogs won a low-scoring 2-1 game on Saturday on Chillicothe’s field thanks to goals from Brendan McKeown and Gage Walker.

Head coach Bill Gleeson said Mexico (3-2) was able to defeat a solid defensive team like Chillicothe (2-3) because of good passing.

Mexico (0-3 NCMC) lost 4-1 at North Central Missouri Conference and district foe Moberly (3-1, 2-0 NCMC) before hosting conference foe Kirksville (1-2, 1-2 NCMC) on Tuesday and going back to Moberly for the Moberly Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

Mexico girls tennis goes 1-2 at first Troy tournament

For their first appearance, the Mexico girls were solid.

The Lady Bulldogs competed in the Troy Varsity Tennis Tournament on Saturday for the first time and went 1-2. They lost 5-2 to Holt and Ft. Zumwalt West and defeated Troy Buchanan 5-2.

Jyllian Whitworth finished 2-0 in singles matches, defeating her Ft. Zumwalt West opponent 7-5 and Troy Buchanan foe 6-3 while also winning doubles with Katie Gooch 6-3 against Holt and 6-4 against Troy Buchanan. Head coach Kim Costley said Whitworth was pushed out of her comfort zone and so were the rest of the Lady Bulldogs.

“There were all new teams we've never played and the competition was good,” Costley said. “We are a Class 1 tennis school and all of the teams in the tournament were Class 2 and 3.”

Others to win matches were Lucy Gleeson and Lani Blair in doubles 6-1 against Holt, Alice Eggen in singles 6-4 against Ft. Zumwalt West, Blair in singles 6-1 against Troy Buchanan, Eggen in singles 6-3 against Troy Buchanan, and Eggen and Daida Herrera-Garcia in doubles 7-5 against Troy Buchanan.

Mexico (2-1 NCMC) moved to 6-8 after a 5-4 home loss to district foe Palmyra on Tuesday and plays North Central Missouri Conference foe Moberly (0-6, 0-4 NCMC) at 4 p.m. Thursday.