Mexico baseball has seen its fair share of one-run games this season.

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In fact, the Bulldogs had played four straight such games before defeating Oak Grove 10-4 on Saturday afternoon at home. After the fourth inning, Mexico added on five more runs to reach a total of 11 hits and four Bulldogs with multiple hits.

Drew DeMint was one of these batters as he finished 2-for-5 with three RBI and two doubles. Saturday’s performance gave DeMint three straight multi-hit games. 

“I feel like our confidence will get up, hitting more in this game than we have probably any other game,” DeMint said. “We weren’t thinking much and not trying to kill it all the time.”

DeMint said confidence plays a big role in a hitter’s production in a game, and most importantly, over a stretch of games. He came through with a double with two runners on a three-run fourth inning for Mexico (7-6) and then lined a double to left field to score two runs in the fifth inning. 

Mexico went from a 2-1 lead to a 3-1 lead after DeMint’s first double and then had a 7-1 advantage after the fifth inning. Head coach Daniel McCarty said he saw better approaches from all of his players hitting first-pitch strikes after about the third or fourth inning, including Kaden Benne with his 2-for-3 and two-RBI double, Tyson Carr with his 3-for-4 and RBI double and Sam Ryan with his 2-for-4 with three runs scored.

“We started to capitalize on (Oak Grove pitcher Logan Hernandez) throwing strikes and starting to hit more line drives,” McCarty said. “Our running game was excellent today as we made no mistakes.”

McCarty said that unfamiliar feeling of owning a wider lead was able to happen after stellar defense from Mexico. The Bulldogs didn’t commit a single error and made a pivotal play in the fifth inning.

Oak Grove (4-3) had the bases loaded with one out against Austin Maxwell. The junior pitcher made a pitch that induced a ground ball that was gobbled up by the shortstop Benne, who gave it to second baseman Chance McCarty, who then fired to first baseman Jaydon Eldridge for the inning-ending double play with no damage sustained. Mexico maintained a 5-1 lead that grew in the innings that followed.

“Our defense played superb,” McCarty said. “Austin pitched pretty well. He adjusted and got the ground ball double play to end the inning. That was the key inning of the game and what sealed our victory.”

Maxwell may have not had his command all the time, McCarty said, with five walks to go along with seven strikeouts, four hits and three runs, but he made the key pitches when he needed them. Several times, Oak Grove batters could only muster ugly swings as they struck out.

“His spin was good today — his offspeed knuckleball anyways,” McCarty said. “Usually, he throws a knucklecurve, but he’s been throwing a knuckleball now. It’s giving them a run for their money. It’s hard to do, and you’ve got to be practicing it all the time.”

Benne, who had the game-winning RBI in a 4-3 victory over North Central Missouri Conference rival Fulton on Thursday at home, smacked a two-RBI double in the sixth inning that was followed by Carr’s RBI double a batter later. That was Mexico’s response to two Oak Grove runs in the top half of the inning.

McCarty has described the Bulldogs as a team that tends to hit a lot of singles but was pleased to see more balls find gaps, hence do more damage.

“Tyson, Kaden and all of those guys are starting to see the ball very well so we’re starting to pick up more doubles,” McCarty said. “We were squaring the ball up very well today.”

Mexico hosts Class 3 North Callaway (6-3) at 5 p.m. Monday. The Thunderbirds have won four straight games and have scored 53 runs in those victories.