FORTVILLE — Mt. Vernon was looking for a confidence boost in Monday night’s sectional opener. They had won six straight, but the offense wasn’t where they wanted it to be.
That changed fast against Muncie Central. The Mt. Vernon offense scored in every inning, blowing out the Bearcats and advancing to today’s semifinal with a 16-0 win.
“It was really big, because we’ve kind of been in a slump with our hitting lately and our confidence and just being loud again,” Mt. Vernon junior Sydnee Perry said. “To just come out and finally get that back was big for us.”
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Perry was instrumental in the offensive output on Monday. She hit a mammoth three-run home run that cleared the center field fence by a large margin in the third inning, and added more RBIs on a pair of doubles. She finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate with six RBIs.
She wasn’t the only one feeling it. Nine different Marauders had base hits in the game and six had RBIs. The Mt. Vernon offense drew eight walks and stole five bases, keeping the pressure on Muncie Central throughout.
“I think we’re just seeing the ball a lot better than we have been,” Perry said. “Our confidence was there, we’ve been focusing a lot on it and our timing. I think it kind of all clicked for us today and it was just kind of a domino effect.”
Riley Hasseld scored three times and had three RBIs for Mt. Vernon. Molly Buck had a pair of hits. Nearly everyone in the lineup contributed.
That started immediately. Hasseld, the first Mt. Vernon batter of the game, walked and scored on an RBI single from Haley Kissee. The next batter, Samantha Bennett, followed with an RBI single to push the lead to two.
They added three more in the second after a walk to Macey Cox and a single by Buck put two runners on. Chloee Yocum drove one run in and back-to-back fielding errors allowed two more to score, giving the hosts an early 5-0 lead.
Perry’s third-inning blast was part of a five-run frame, and five hits and two walks led to another six runs in the fourth inning.
“It gives us the confidence that we need to roll into the next game,” Mt. Vernon coach Veronica Kirby said. “The opportunity to get the at-bats, the swings, the things that we needed going the right way for us, it all helps. We’re ready, we’ll be ready tomorrow. One game at a time.
“It was a good night for us. It was a good confidence builder. We had great attitudes, we were strong mentally, we came out focused. Everything we’ve been talking about is preparing for this moment, and we get to do it again tomorrow.”
Buck got the win in the circle, throwing five innings and allowing three hits. She struck out 10 and walked none in a dominant performance.
The win means the Marauders will see their county rivals, Greenfield-Central, today in a semifinal game.
Mt. Vernon bested the Cougars, 5-0, on April 26. Another win against their county and conference counterparts would mean a spot in Wednesday’s sectional championship game.
“We’re very ready. We’ve been looking forward to this,” Perry said. “Big game, they’re good. Whoever plays best will win. We just have to come out with confidence again and see the ball just like we did tonight.”
The Cougars and Marauders will meet in the first of two games today, 5:30 p.m. first pitch. Pendleton Heights and Anderson will follow. The winners will play for a sectional title Wednesday at 6 p.m.
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Mt. Vernon 16, Muncie Central 0
Muncie Central;000;00;—;0;3;2
Mt. Vernon;235;6X;—;16;12;0
WP: Molly Buck. LP: Brooklyn Emberton.
HR: Sydnee Perry (MV). 2B: Perry 2 (MV). RBI: Sydnee Perry 6, Riley Hasseld 3, Haley Kissee, Samantha Bennett, Chloee Yocum, Macey Cox (MV).
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