When it comes to rivalry games, it always helps to have a grinder on the team.
Enter Zoey Mullings.
The Strafford right-hander threw a complete game gem Monday and flummoxed a lethal Fair Grove lineup in the process. In the 4-1 Indians victory, Mullings tallied eight strikeouts and allowed only three hits.
Strafford head coach Dale Bean knew his ace would deliver in a tough, Mid-Lakes battle.
"She's a bulldog out there," Bean said. "When we put her on the mound, we expect her to carry the team, and she wants that. We have a lot of confidence in her. She went out there, a little jittery in the first inning, but she got her change-up down. She was working it in, out, up all over the place, and you could just tell the batters were uncomfortable all day long. Squaring her up was really hard today."
Not to be completely outdone, Fair Grove's Jordan Coddington turned in a gritty mound performance of her own. While Strafford was able to post four runs, the sophomore kept the Indian hits scattered, for the most part, and nearly pitched herself out of a two-run, fifth-inning jam that turned out to be the difference in the game.
Coddington took the bump due to ace Shyan Proctor's wrist injury. Eagles' head coach Stacy Beckley shuffled her lineup to accommodate Proctor's bat and limited range at 2nd base; however, the move also forced several of her players to helm unfamiliar positions.
"I have to give a lot of credit to Jordan," Beckley said. "She pitched a heck of a ballgame. Any time you can keep a team like that down to four runs, I think she's doing her job. We know we have to play tough defense. We've got the kids to play those positions, and they know that if we're in a pinch, they move and play like they would in their original positions. I'm really proud of how they adjusted."
"Give Zoe credit, though. She put the ball in the zone and had a nasty change that got a couple kids, but we just mentally didn't come through like we should at the plate … and that's not my team."
Stagnant at the plate for most of the game, Fair Grove did threaten Mullings and the Indians late in the game. After giving up two singles, a pair of walks and Fair Grove's lone run in the seventh, Mullings gathered herself and finished the game.
"I just kept telling myself that I needed to hit my spots," Mullings said. "I was able to hit my spots and the defense did the rest, so that's how we got out of it. I'm so glad to play with this group of girls. We're all confident in each other."
Bean visited the mound briefly to shore up defensive assignments during the Fair Grove rally, but wasn't concerned for his pitcher.
"That was all hers," Bean said. "She earned her spot to get out of a couple jams and just fight through it. Mostly when I went out there, I wasn't even talking to her. I was just talking about our defense. We had a couple situational plays where we wanted to make sure we were on the same page and make sure everyone knew what base to throw to and what was going on. Not a whole lot of talking to her."
Strafford (6-0) travels to Diamond on Tuesday, while Fair Grove (7-3-1) hosts Stockton on Thursday.
Strafford 1 0 0 1 2 0 x — 4
Fair Grove 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 — 1
