Mexico earns first conference win with 5-2 victory at Kirksville

The first North Central Missouri Conference win is out of the way.

Mexico won 5-2 on Tuesday at Kirksville (4-3, 0-2 NCMC) while also earning a win against a district opponent. Payton Shaw led the offense by going 2-for-3 with three RBI.

Shaw struck with a RBI double in the fourth inning for a 2-1 lead and then extended the lead to 5-2 after a two-RBI home run in the sixth inning. Maddy Feger and Scottie Smith each had a RBI.

Aleigha Henderson pitched three shutout innings with three hits, and Keerstan Ewing scattered eight hits and two runs across four innings.

Mexico (4-8, 1-1 NCMC) tries to win a conference and district game against at 5 p.m. Thursday at home against Hannibal (1-5, 0-2 NCMC).

Community R-6 piles on Pilot Grove 14-1

One day after winning its Central Activities Conference opener, Community R-6 won another conference matchup.

The Lady Trojans defeated Glasgow 7-6 on Monday at home and followed up with a 14-1 five-inning victory at Pilot Grove. Community (5-2, 2-0 CAC) tallied 18 hits, including five doubles, against Pilot Grove (1-4, 0-1 CAC).

Community scored three runs in the second inning, five in the third and six in the fourth. Myla Carroll had three RBI and a double, Jocelyn Curtis finished 4-for-4 with two RBI and two doubles, Aaliyah Welch went 3-for-3 with two RBI, Rylee Rafferty had two RBI, Chloe Johnson went 3-for-3 with a RBI and Amy McCurdy finished 3-for-4 with a RBI.

Carroll struck out nine and allowed five hits and one walk in five innings.

Community hosts district foe Silex (2-5) at 5 p.m. Friday.

Centralia stays undefeated in CCC with 3-0 win vs Highland

Once again, Centralia won in the Clarence Cannon Conference.

Another bit of deja vu was Jaylynn Brown dominating from the circle with 17 strikeouts in seven innings for a 3-0 victory at home against Highland (6-4, 1-1 CCC). Brown allowed four hits and walked one after being backed by back-to-back home runs in the first inning.

Madi Johnson crushed a two-RBI home run off Abigail Lay and then Cora King, who finished 3-for-3, followed with a solo shot. Lay allowed six hits and three walks with seven strikeouts in six innings. 

Centralia (7-2, 2-0 CCC) has won 13 straight conference games, with its previous loss coming in 2022 via an eight-inning 6-5 defeat at Brookfield. The Lady Panthers switch to their district schedule at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Moberly (4-2).

Van-Far falls short 7-4 at South Callaway

Van-Far started mounting a rally in the seventh inning on Tuesday, but it was quickly squashed.

The Lady Indians lost 7-4 at South Callaway (2-2) despite Kenya Jones hitting a two-RBI home run to cut the Lady Bulldog lead to 7-4. Van-Far's next three hitters struck out to end the game.

South Callaway's McKenzie Laughlin struck out 10 and allowed seven hits and two walks. On the other side, Dalana Gay struck out seven and scattered 10 hit and one walk through seven innings. 

Reeve Woodall went 2-for-3 with a RBI and a double, Elliott Utterback had a RBI and Kaelyn Hutcheson went 2-for-3 with a run scored on Jones' home run.

Van-Far (0-4) hosts Paris (4-1), who defeated its district foe North Shelby 4-0 on Tuesday, at 5 p.m. Wednesday.