NOVINGER, Mo. - MaKenna Musgrove delivered a no-hit shutout, and Scotland County backed her with 15 hits Tuesday night as the Lady Tigers closed the regular season with a 17-0 victory over Novinger in five innings.
Scotland County scored six runs in the opening inning, added five in the fourth and finished with another six in the fifth. The win sends the Lady Tigers into district tournament play with a 9-14 record and a strong finish on both sides of the ball.
Musgrove struck out four without issuing a walk, facing just 16 batters over her five innings. She threw 43 of her 63 pitches for strikes, keeping Novinger off balance while her defense helped protect the no-hitter.
“We’re excited for her. That’s a huge accomplishment,” Scotland County coach Abi Haire said afterward. “I don’t even think she really realized that she did it, so that just kind of shows you her mentality. She’s just going in there to win games.”
The Lady Tigers gave their pitcher plenty of support before she ever stepped into the circle. Lexi Weber reached on an error in the first inning, and Elle Hamlin followed with a single to put runners at the corners. Weber scored on an errant throw before Maty Buford drove an RBI double into left-center field to make it 2-0.
After Musgrove drew a walk, Ali Ward delivered a two-run triple to extend the lead. Hilary Hamm followed with an RBI hit, and Kenzington Miller capped the opening rally with an RBI triple, giving Scotland County a 6-0 advantage.
Novinger kept the Lady Tigers scoreless through the next two innings, working around baserunners and turning a double play in the third. Musgrove continued to hold the Lady Wildcats in check, however, leaving Scotland County firmly in control heading into the fourth.
The Lady Tigers broke through again with five runs in that inning. Weber scored on a wild pitch, and Ward added a two-run double. Scotland County also capitalized on a throwing error that brought home two more runs, stretching the lead to 11-0.
Another six-run rally in the fifth put the game out of reach. Buford delivered her second RBI double, Musgrove added a run-scoring extra-base hit, and Ward drove in another run on a groundout. Ailea Hayes and Hamlin contributed RBI singles as Scotland County pushed the margin to 17 runs.
Hamlin led the Lady Tigers with a 4-for-4 performance that included a double, three runs scored and an RBI. Ward went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple and five RBIs, providing run-producing hits in both of Scotland County’s early scoring innings.
Buford finished with two doubles, two RBIs and three runs scored. Hamm added two hits, including a triple, scored twice and drove in a run. Musgrove helped her own cause with a double, three walks, three runs scored and an RBI, while every hitter in Scotland County’s starting lineup recorded at least one hit.
“I was just very happy for everybody to get hits the way we did, especially going into districts,” Haire said. “We’ve been kind of struggling all year to find a gap, not hitting it directly to people, so I think that’s gonna give us a little confidence boost.”
Novinger received a defensive highlight from Paislee Street, whose catch in left field ended the fifth-inning rally. Starting pitcher Miley Roan worked four innings before Mattie Snyder pitched the fifth. Novinger coach Shelbi Followwill said the regular season finale provided an opportunity to give younger players valuable experience with junior varsity games difficult to find.
In the bottom of the fifth, Musgrove retired the first two hitters before Snyder reached on an error. With the no-hitter still intact, Musgrove fielded Hannah Magers’ ground ball and threw to Buford at first for the final out.
Scotland County now turns its attention to a scheduled Thursday matchup against La Plata in the Class 1 District 5 tournament at La Plata. Haire expects a competitive contest in the pairing of the fourth and fifth seeds, with advancing requiring the Lady Tigers to carry Tuesday’s combination of pitching, defense and timely hitting into postseason play.
Novinger is scheduled to face Albany on Thursday in its district opener at Princeton.
Photo courtesy for this story provided by Amy Buford
(This game recap is presented based upon the coverage of the Hometown Radio Sports Network. Any statistics given should be deemed as unofficial.)
