Baseball

Mexico composed in comeback 3-1 win vs Hannibal

Mexico has been in situations like Tuesday before, especially the team’s six seniors.

Mexico vs Hannibal (Senior Night) Photo Gallery

On Senior Night, all six of those Bulldogs contributed to defeat North Central Missouri Conference foe Hannibal 3-1 at home, scoring three runs in the fifth inning for the comeback victory. Seniors Jack Wilburn and Andrew Runge covered the seven innings on the mound while senior Ty Sims had the game-tying RBI hit, and Landyn Kleinsorge scored the game-winning run.

While Mexico’s senior group has played together for a while, the Bulldogs faced a similar test at the plate against Hannibal’s southpaw Evan Harsell. In Mexico’s 6-4 loss in Hannibal earlier this season, Harsell pitched six innings of three-run ball that game, quieting the Bulldogs’ bats until the sixth inning. Head coach Daniel McCarty said Mexico (8-8, 4-3 NCMC) was able to make adjustments sooner this time, answering his challenge this week.

“I challenged them — during practice, during our huddles — to compete,” McCarty said. “We didn’t make adjustments until the fifth inning when we started using the opposite field, we started hitting the holes and we started putting more pressure on them.”

“We just had a different approach at the plate,” senior Tyler Thoenen said. “He was throwing offspeed first so I was looking at offspeed, but I wasn’t really trying to attack it. I was really trying to get to the second or third pitch where he threw another offspeed or a fastball right down the middle of the strike zone where I could just hit it. He did it every time so I just hit it.”

Mexico tries to get more revenge at 5 p.m. Thursday at conference and district foe Kirksville (5-11, 3-4 NCMC), who defeated the Bulldogs 8-7 in 13 innings played in Mexico. 

Community R-6 unable to close out Louisiana in 5-3 loss

Community was inching close to its ninth straight win and a 10-1 record to start the season on Tuesday.

The Trojans couldn’t close the game at home as Louisiana scored four runs in the seventh inning to defeat Community 5-3. The Bulldogs (2-10) loaded the bases to lead off the seventh against Gavin Allen and came through with a pair of clutch hits.

Allen raised his strikeout total to 13 after recording three in the seventh inning, catching one looking for the first out only for an infield single brought two runs home to tie the game at 2. A double to left field pushed the score to 5-2. The senior hurler finished with five hits, five runs and one walk allowed, with two going as unearned due to two errors.

Allen followed his walk-off heroics in a 5-4 win against Central Activities Conference foe New Franklin on Monday at home with another 3-for-4 performance at the plate. He drove in a run as did Eli Johnson, who hit a triple, and Mason Carroll while leadoff hitter Ayden Meranda, who had a double, scored two runs.

Community (9-2) stranded seven runners and had the bases loaded in the first inning with one out, but two of eight strikeouts recorded by Louisiana pitcher Jack Logan ended that threat. Logan allowed eight of the Trojans’ nine hits and walked two in 6⅓ innings.

Community (3-0 CAC) plays at conference and district foe Madison (0-9, 0-4 CAC) on Wednesday prior to playing at CAC and district opponent Glasgow (4-6, 1-3 CAC) at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Centralia strikes early vs Moberly, Engel but lose 4-1

From the first inning on Tuesday, it appeared Centralia would match Moberly all night.

After scoring once in the first inning, the Panthers lost at home to its district foe 4-1. Moberly pitcher Jackson Engel settled down after allowing two hits to lead off the game but limited Centralia (4-7) to six hits, two walks and one run in seven innings.

Anthony Ford grounded out to score Centralia’s lone run in the first inning to follow a Mason Presley single and Jack Romine double, making it 2-1. 

Ethan Adams picked up one of the Panthers’ hits while allowing eight hits in six innings on the mound, recording four strikeouts, three runs (one earned) and one walk.

Moberly (8-8) had four doubles and six stolen bases in the game to apply pressure throughout.

Centralia plays in the Boonville Wood Bat Tournament on Friday and Saturday.

Montgomery County 7 Van-Far 6 in Montgomery City

Track and field

Community R-6, Paris at Dennis Hancock Invite in Monroe City

Community R-6

Girls: Victoria DiSalvo 2nd in 300 hurdles and 3rd in 100 hurdles, Sarah Angel 4th in long jump, Adriana Woodson 6th in 300 hurdles and 7th in 100 hurdles, Brooklynn Glasgow 9th in shot put

Paris

Boys: Colton Kendrick 1st in pole vault, 4x800 relay was 1st, Drew Williams 3rd in 800, Landen Chapman 3rd in 3200, 4x400 relay was 3rd, 4x400 was 4th

Finished fourth out of 10 schools with 71 points (Harrisburg wins 188 points)

Girls: Alexandria Tullius 1st in 1600 and 3200, Kaylee Johnson 5th in 800 and 6th in 3200, Emma Ashenfelter 9th in 400

Boys tennis

Mexico falls 7-2 to conference rival Moberly

Mexico has played Moberly for years, but those who have less experience with the rivalry did well on Tuesday.

The Bulldogs lost 7-2 to their North Central Missouri Conference rival at home but had singles victories from No. 5 and 6 players Quaid Grubb, winning 10-6, and Brixton Goerne, winning 10-4.

Mexico (2-7, 1-2 NCMC) plays at Battle (0-2) at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

Look for the full stories in the Saturday, April 22, 2023, edition of the Mexico Ledger.