After dropping back-to-back games in their Mustang Classic over the weekend, the McCracken County Mustangs put themselves straight back into the win column with a key Second District victory on Monday, as a handful of late runs saw them run away with a 15-4 victory over St. Mary
“Our guys just kept on battling,” said McCracken County head coach Zach Hobbs, following the win. “We had a few things go our way, battled back, and it just got a little wild there in the seventh. I’m proud of the effort and the way we stayed even-keeled.”
The win for the Mustangs would come with some early adversity, as the Vikings would get out to a fast start. Jumping on McCracken starter Caden Kern in the first, four straight runners would reach to drive in two runs, as an RBI single for Andrew Puckett got St. Mary going.
The response would be instant from the Mustangs, though, as they broke through offensively in the top half of the second. Making the most out a a pair of one-out errors for the Vikings, back-to-back singles for Kern (3-for-4) and Lucas Gagnon (2-for-4, 2B) would chase in three runs, vaulting the visitors into the lead midway through two.
“We know we can’t get too up or two down over any one inning, we knew that there was still six innings of baseball to be played, so we just kept banging,” Hobbs said. “We knew if we kept pressing, we’d put some runs on the board, but it was really big for us to come right back and get them in that second.”
After the teams traded runs in the fourth inning, St. Mary would strike in the fifth, as an RBI single for Jake Haas followed up a pair of walks, knotting the game back up at four runs apiece heading to the sixth.
However, the crushing blow would be dealt by the Mustangs in that sixth, stemming from a broken play on a bunt from Brady Thompson. A quick flip to first would find its way into right field, with a second miscue on a throw to third allowing the senior to score on a two-run play.
“That’s something we work on a lot in practice, and the guys did a great job of recognizing some situations out there,” Hobbs continued, on the Mustangs’ heads-up baserunning. “We laid down a couple of really good bunts tonight. We’re always trying to be aggressive and keep pressure on teams, and I thought we did a really good job of that today.”
Back in front, the Mustangs would erupt in the top half of the seventh, putting the game out of reach. On a night where the Vikings were charged with five, errors would continue to prove costly for the hosts, as six hits in the frame would turn into nine runs for McCracken. Paired with two innings of scoreless relief between Ethan Atkinson and Owen McGee, the Mustangs would comfortably seal up the 15-4 victory.
The Mustangs and Vikings will clash again later in the week, facing off at McCracken on Thursday.
MCCRACKEN COUNTY 15, ST. MARY 4
MCHS1 3 0 1 0 2 9 — 15 14 1
STM2 0 0 1 1 0 0 — 4 5 5
WP: E. Atkinson; LP: A. Spurr
2B: MCHS — B. Hall, L. Gagnon, L. Page
TB: MCHS — B. Hall 3, C. Kern 3, L. Gagnon 3, L. Page 2, L. Whiteside 2, B. Thompson 1, G. Dugan 1, G. Reeves 1, W. Buckhalter 1; STM — A. Puckett 1, B. Haas 1, J. Haas 1, J. Morris 1, N. Riley 1
HBP: MCHS — G. Dugan, L. Gagnon, L. Grace, L. Whiteside
SF: MCHS — C. Kern
SB: MCHS — W. Buckhalter 2, G. Dugan; STM — K. Morris
CS: STM — A. Puckett
E: MCHS — L. Gagnon; STM — J. Morris 2, A. Spurr, B. Haas, C. Simmons
RECORDS: McCracken County (16-6); St. Mary (15-4)