WARDSVILLE - The Blair Oaks Lady Falcons hit it. And hit it hard.
Blair Oaks finished with 15 hits Monday in an 11-1 victory in five innings against the Hallsville Lady Indians in a Tri-County Conference softball game at the Falcon Athletic Complex.
"We've been hitting the ball really well," Blair Oaks coach Sharon Buschjost said. "Some of the players who struggled early on have turned it around.
"And when you combine that with those players who have already been hitting this season, it can mean a lot of hits in a game."
The Lady Falcons, who had 17 hits in a three-inning win in a game in the UCM Tournament over the weekend in Warrensburg, are getting offense throughout the lineup.
"I think coaches traditionally think when they get to the lower part of the lineup, they can maybe just get people out with fastballs," Buschjost said. "But the bottom part of our order is getting the job done and that's the key to being a complete offensive team."
Eight different Lady Falcons had hits in the game. Peyton Staggs led the attack with four hits and three RBI.
Blair Oaks scored twice in the first inning. Lauren Viessman walked before scoring on a double by Jolie Duffner. Staggs then singled home Duffner.
The Lady Falcons broke it open with five runs on five hits in the third inning. Natalie Mudd, the No. 9 hitter, and leadoff hitter Taylor Markway had back-to-back doubles to cap the scoring in the inning.
After Hallsville scored its lone run in the fourth, Blair Oaks answered with two runs on three hits in the bottom of the inning. Ashley Forck drove in both runs with a double, one of four extra-base hits for the Lady Falcons.
"There weren't too many bloop hits today," Buschjost said.
Blair Oaks closed the game with a pair of runs in the fifth. With two outs, Viessman beat out a bunt single before Duffner singled. A wild pitch moved the two up a base before Staggs singled both home to end it.
Duffner added three hits and scored four times. Markway and Mudd had two hits each.
Blair Oaks is now 4-0 in conference games, outscoring its opponents 42-2. Blair Oaks will travel to California today for a conference contest, with games against Tri-County foes Southern Boone and Warsaw still to come.
On Thursday, Blair Oaks will travel to Westphalia to resume a game against Fatima. The game, slated for a 4:30 p.m. start, will pick up in the top of the fourth inning with Blair Oaks holding a 3-1 lead.
In Monday's JV game, Sydney Wilde had two hits and two RBI for Blair Oaks in an 8-2 victory against Hallsville. Cameron Dulle also had two hits. Megan Mitchem was the winning pitcher, striking out eight for the Lady Falcons (8-2).