Mexico had some home-field advantage prior to hosting districts next week.

The Bulldogs hosted Class 4 No. 4 Moberly on Thursday in a rescheduled game and scored two runs in the seventh inning to beat their North Central Missouri Conference rival Moberly 3-2. Mexico (21-11) won its final NCMC game after responding to a two-run sixth inning by the Spartans (22-9), who had already defeated the Bulldogs 7-5 this season.

Colton Dickey and Kael Smith scored the tying and winning runs, respectively. Dickey stole second and then took third on a passed ball, which awarded him another 90 feet score when the ball went out of play. Smith pinch ran for Zach Jahn, who doubled, and stuck his hand between the pitcher’s legs on another passed ball.

Mexico vs Moberly Photo Gallery

“Kael Smith had a good read on that ball,” head coach Daniel McCarty said. “He had a good slide. Kael Smith has been doing it all year. He is fast, he’s smart on the basepaths and he also plays aggressively.”

McCarty said Smith had the “natural aggressiveness” and speed to spell Jahn, who finished 2-for-4 at the plate. Dickey used his speed to steal Mexico’s two bases in the game and went 1-for-2 with two walks. 

Dickey was forced to stop in his tracks on the passed ball that rolled out of play. McCarty said the ball didn’t disappear completely into the dugout but touched the concrete behind the dugout fence, which is enough to trigger the ground rule.

“I automatically knew,” McCarty said. “I came running in (from the third base coaching box), and the umpire wasn’t sure if it went on the concrete. It went on that concrete lip and sat there. It’s a bad way to lose, but it’s a weird and fun way to win on something like that. We just make the best of it.”

Dickey said “it felt great” when he was allowed to jog home and touch the plate. Mexico needed every run to beat a talented Moberly, and making sure baserunners have the best reads is crucial.

“You just got to check the ball down,” Dickey said. “If it’s down, be on your toes and be ready to go to the next bag.”

McCarty said Moberly doesn’t make a lot of mistakes and is tough to beat because of that, good coaching and great baseball IQ. The biggest margin of victory in the previous six games between the rivals is six runs, with Mexico winning half of those games. 

Mexico’s three pitchers in what McCarty called “a bullpen game” each did well to counter Moberly’s Nolan Samuel’s seven strikeouts, six hits, two walks and one run in five innings. McCarty said he aimed to have his staff go through some “fine-tuning” before districts and initially planned on a shorter day for Kinser Groves. The senior pitched four innings with two hits, two strikeouts and one walk.

“I was originally planning for Kinser to go 1-2 innings, but he was just rolling,” McCarty said. “I was going to keep on rolling the dice. He came out with no regrets and came out dealing. He was hitting his spots, getting popups, getting ground balls and getting strikeouts.”

McCarty said Groves “set the tone,” and Brady Fox and Brayden Arnold each didn't allow an earned run. Fox struck out three and allowed two hits in two innings, and Arnold allowed three walks and no hits in one inning. 

Mexico is the No. 1 seed in Class 4 District 7 and will host for the first time since 2015. The Bulldogs face either Winfield (5-13) or Lutheran St. Charles (5-20) at 4 p.m. Monday. 

“I feel like we have a good squad,” Dickey said. “We could definitely win districts or at least get to the championship game.”

Mexico advanced to the championship game when it hosted in 2015 but hasn’t won a district title since 2014. Now that the Bulldogs have their most wins since that 2014 team, McCarty said they are ready.

“It’s good we’re on our turf,” McCarty said. “It’s good that our seniors get to play here in their last year. It’s good to have home-field advantage. We know every nook and cranny.”