The McCracken County Mustangs bounced straight back into the win column on Friday afternoon as a strong defensive showing lifted them to a shutout victory at home, knocking off the Festus Tigers by a final score of 3-0.
Key to the win for the Mustangs was a strong showing on the mound of Will Fox, who tossed six scoreless innings. Across his day, Fox would surrender just three hits and a pair of walks, while racking up 13 strikeouts.
“Fox was big for us today. He shouldn’t have even been pitching today, but he threw us a gem and we really needed that kind of outing from him,” said McCracken County head coach Zach Hobbs, following the win. “I loved the effort he gave us. It was a great team win, and one we really needed to have. For our guys to bounce back like that was huge.”
While they’d strand a pair in scoring position in the back half of the first, the Mustangs wouldn’t have to wait much longer to put a run on the board. After reaching with a single to lead off the second, Lucas Gagnon would make his way around the bases to give McCracken the early edge, coming in to score on a wild pitch dealt to Caden Kern.
Gagnon’s tally would remain as difference through the top half of the fifth, as Fox dueled with Fetsus left-hander Jackson Smith through the middle innings of the afternoon.
Eventually, the Mustangs broke through once more in the bottom of the fifth, as Kendrick Dunning set the wheels in motion with a one-out walk. In what finished as a 2-for-3 night at the plate for the senior, Fox would provide his own run support with a single up the middle, driving Dunning in to double the advantage.
“Will did a tremendous job for us at the plate, too, he’s been one of our most consistent bats this year.” said Hobbs. “That’s a Michigan signee we just faced, and I thought all of our guys had a really good approach at the plate. We came up with some timely hits, and our two-strike approach was a lot better than it had been lately.”
After Lane Grace would bump the lead to three with a sixth inning RBI single, Gage Dugan would retire the side in the seventh to secure the shutout victory.
“We just played a clean game today, and I’m super proud of these guys. They worked hard, and I’m glad they could get the result we wanted today,” Hobbs continued. “It’s a good day for us, a great day at the field, and we really needed it.”
The early season gauntlet continues for the Mustangs this afternoon, as they aim for their first back-to-back wins of the season and climb a game closer to .500 when they meet Cape Girardeau Central.
“We have to come into Saturday with the same approach we took today, and just take things one pitch at a time,” Hobbs concluded. “We’re not getting caught up on the outcomes, we’re just playing each pitch, and all I ask of our guys it to go out and compete. They did it today, they have to do it again tomorrow, and we can handle anything if we continue to do that.”
MCCRACKEN COUNTY 3, FESTUS 0
FSTS0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 3 0
MCHS0 1 0 0 1 1 X — 3 6 1
WP: W. Fox; LP: J. Smith; SV: G. Dugan
2B: MCHS — G Reeves
TB: MCHS — G. Reeves 2, L. Gagnon 2, W. Fox 2, L. Grace 1; FSTS — B. Beers 1, C. Schill1 , J. Smith 1
HBP: MCHS — H. Neely
SB: MCHS — A. Hunter
CS: MCHS — A. Hunter
E: MCHS — L. Grace
RECORDS: McCracken County (2-4); Festus (3-1)