The McCracken County Lady Mustangs found their 10th win in a row, defeating the Hickman County Lady Falcons 10-1 on Thursday night.
The Lady Mustangs haven’t lost since April 15, where they fell 7-5 to Livingston Central. The team’s response since that loss fills head coach Tony Hayden with confidence.
“We always expect to win and we’re on a pretty good roll right now,” Hayden said.
The win over the Lady Falcons told the story of the Lady Mustang’s success. With 15 total hits, 10 runs, and a home run from senior first baseman Savannah McDowell, the performance at the plate was undeniable.“We’ve been working really hard helping the players understand what the pitchers will be throwing and what they should be looking for at the plate,” Hayden said. “All 12 players that we hit are rolling and taking everything in.”
Highlighted by the five hits and five runs that were scored in the bottom of the second inning, the Lady Mustang’s bats caught fire. This isn’t uncommon for the team, scoring 10 runs or more in five of the last seven games.
The Lady Mustangs now look to finish off the regular season with four more games. But despite the recent success at the plate, coach Hayden says they will be tested.
“In those four games we’ll be facing some of the best four pitchers around,” Hayden said.
But Hayden doesn’t look at that as a problem, rather an opportunity for his players to learn, grow and adapt for the postseason.
“Those are the games you want to end the season with,” Hayden said. “That’s going to help us going into the district and the regional.”
But the hitting doesn’t take top priority for Hayden, saying that the main focus for improvement is on the mound.
“We need to have both pitchers throwing the best that they can throw,” Hayden said. “We don’t need walks but I don’t think we had many tonight.”
Hayden would be right, as junior pitcher Addley Leidecker only had one walk the entire game. She would also throw 57 strikes on 89 pitches with three strikeouts.
But strikeouts aren’t necessary for the Lady Mustangs. Hayden says his pitchers just need to create weak contact and let the outfield go to work.
“Defensively, we’ve been good all year,” Hayden said. “If they put the ball in play, we usually make the plays.”
The four game stretch to end the regular season will start on May 12. The Lady Mustangs will stay at home to take on the visiting Graves County Lady Eagles. The first pitch is set for 6 p.m.