Mexico hopes Monday’s game doesn’t happen again anytime soon. The team won’t be playing Macon at least.

The Lady Bulldogs were shut out for the first time this season and in the program since their 9-0 loss in 2020 to Macon. They finished with four hits, with 10 of their final outs happening on the ground.

Lexie Willer, Karlee Sefrit, Hannah Loyd and Kenley Jones each had a hit for Mexico, and Emma Cunningham only allowed an unearned run on two hits in 3 1/3 innings.

Head coach Curt Riley said Mexico did a good job of making contact all day — striking out twice — but just kept hitting it at fielders. Brooke Weimer pitched the first two shutout innings for Macon before being relieved by Payton Weimer, who strung together 11 consecutive Lady Bulldogs retired until a groundball hit by Loyd found a hole in the seventh inning. Payton Weimer limited the balls in the gap that Riley said have been more prevalent prior to Monday.

“Sometimes, that’s all you can do — hit it at people and try to make plays,” Riley said. “We’ve actually been doing a good job with that, but just tonight, they were at people.”

Riley said both Weimer pitchers were “deceptively fast,” which doesn’t bother Mexico’s hitters.

“I don’t how good of a job we did at getting used to that strike zone,” Riley said. “You’ve got to be able to adapt inning to inning because it does change.”

While four errors committed by the Lady Bulldogs contributed to the loss, with the first couple allowing the first inning run to score and another two happening in the seventh to help make it 5-0, Riley said they made some dazzling plays. The left side of the diamond seemed to showcase solid defense for most of the night.

Macon led 2-0, after back-to-back doubles to start the inning, and had the bases loaded in the fifth inning with one out. Left fielder Brooke Teel chased down a ball in the gap, and the shortstop Sefrit, first baseman Kierstan Epperson and third baseman Abby Bellamy combined for an inning ending double play to end the threat. Sefrit had a diving stop and throw from her knees to nail a runner at third base to end the first inning and save potentially another run.

The Tigerettes made it 4-0 in the sixth inning, but Bellamy fired a throw to the plate to cut down a runner and then Willer made a diving catch in left field to end the inning.

“They made some really good plays,” Riley said. “Karlee made a couple really nice plays. Abby was really, really good at third base. Some of those were really hard hit balls that we just barely missed.”

Jo Thurman relieved Cunningham in the fourth inning after hitting two batters and walking her third batter. Riley said Cunningham wasn’t feeling well but liked how Thurman covered the rest of the game as well as her ability to cover many spots on the field.

“I brought Jo in from center field,” Riley said. “Jo does a great job. Jo will play anywhere I put her, she’s a tough kid, she’s a hard-nosed kid, she’s a coachable kid and she wants to be a winner. Kids like that make your teams great.”

Mexico overrun by Battle, Gleba in 14-3 loss, splits tournament games

Chelsea Gleba set the tone for the Battle Lady Spartans on Friday against Mexico and then the Lady Bulldogs snagged a victory before leaving the high school in Columbia.

Mexico pitching had difficulty getting Gleba out Friday night when the Lady Bulldogs lost 14-3 in six innings at Battle in Columbia as she went 3-for-4 with three RBI, a home run and a double — making her one of three Lady Spartans to finish with three hits. Mexico stayed in Columbia on Saturday for the Spartan Softball Round-Robin, losing 6-4 against Father Tolton and winning 13-3 in five against two-time reigning district champion Marion C. Early.

On Friday, Maddy Feger led the offensive effort for Mexico, going 2-for-3 with a stolen base, Abby Bellamy had an RBI triple and Brooke Teel also drove in a run.

Mexico had the first lead in the first inning when Bellamy drove in Lexie Willer, who reached base on an error. The lead quickly evaporated as Battle scored five runs in the bottom half of the inning and scored in every inning except the second and fourth innings.

Teel followed Feger’s bunt single in the fourth inning with an RBI single to make it 9-2, and then Feger’s hit was mishandled to allow Hannah Loyd to cross to make it 11-3 in the sixth inning.

Against Father Tolton, Mexico trailed 3-0 in the second inning, but that lead was quickly erased by Shianna Exendine with a three-RBI triple. Exendine’s hit was one of three tallied by the Lady Bulldogs as Teel was responsible for two of them. Jo Thurman allowed nine hits, five runs (four earned) and four walks and struck out six in seven innings.

After two innings against Marion C. Early, Mexico trailed 3-2 before erupting for nine runs in the third inning. The first 10 Lady Bulldogs reached base in the inning, with RBI hits coming from Feger, Thurman, Lexie Willer, Karlee Sefrit and Kierstan Epperson.

Every starter in the Mexico lineup finished with at least one hit and every Lady Bulldog starter except one finished with at least one RBI. Sefrit didn’t drive in a run but went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, Feger drove in three runs while going 2-for-3 — giving her three multi-hit games in the previous four — and Epperson and Willer each drove in two runs. Emma Cunningham allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks in five innings.

Mexico played on the road at North Central Missouri Conference foe Kirksville on Tuesday before hosting conference opponent Hannibal on Thursday.