The Mustang Broncos showed off a key factor on Monday night that every good ball club needs when facing the regular season grind.
Resilience.
Mustang’s 11 hits, including four for extra bases, and an eight-strikeout performance from the circle fueled an 8-2 win over the Bixby Spartans. It was the squad’s second straight district win and its third straight at home.
The Broncos (3-4, 2-0) broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the bottom of the third inning and never looked back. They plated five more across the fourth and fifth.
Eden Anderson (Sr.) drove home the first run of the game with an RBI-single in the bottom of the first, scoring Arionna McElroy (Sr.), who laced a double to left field earlier in the frame.
Anderson and McElroy were locked in at the plate, combining for six hits and three RBI. Both players went 3-for-4, including one double and one RBI from Anderson and two doubles and two RBI from McElroy.
The duo sparked more offense later in the game.
McElroy picked up her first RBI of the game with a one-out double in the bottom of the third, giving Mustang a 2-1 lead. Anderson followed with a double in the next at-bat, driving home McElroy for a two-run advantage.
Seniors Emerson Pegram and Rylee Hannon got things going again, reaching on back-to-back singles in the fourth. Lexy Kierstead (So.), who went 2-for-4, followed with a two-RBI triple to right field for a 5-1 lead.
Lexy Kierstead (So.) takes a swing during an at-bat against Bixby on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. Kierstead went 2-for-4 in the 8-2 district win. (Photo by Ron Lane / Lane Images)
The Broncos added three more runs and all but sealed the win after a wild fifth inning.
McElroy, Anderson, and Kenzie Sessions (Sr.) loaded the bases with three straight singles to start the frame. Rylann Beeson (So.) followed by grounding into a fielder’s choice and forcing home a run for a 6-2 lead.
Natalia Delgado (So.) plated pinch runner Jade Ashbaugh (Fr.) with a sacrifice fly to center field in the following at-bat before an error off a line drive from Emerson Pegram (Sr.) forced home the team’s final run.
Mustang’s offense was backed by solid pitching performance.
Amelia Mason (Jr.) picked up the win, going seven strong innings while allowing just one earned run on five hits. She dominated the Spartans to the tune of eight strikeouts with no walks on 87 total pitches.
The Broncos needed the victory after losing four straight games in the Broken Arrow tournament last weekend.
Mustang lost 5-3 to Adair and 2-1 to Miami on Day 1 of the tournament and followed with losses of 2-0 to Moore and 9-8 to Broken Arrow on Day 2.
Lacy Darity’s squad looks to keep things rolling this Friday against the Moore schools in the 2023 Southmoore Festival before returning home for a district matchup against Jenks on Aug. 24.
