ENGLEWOOD — Mackenzie Vaughan celebrated Senior Night in style by tossing a complete game and reaching base three times as Lemon Bay defeated DeSoto County, 9-1, Tuesday night.
The Manta Rays’ lone senior carried a shutout into the seventh inning while Lemon Bay’s offense was pounding out 11 hits and taking advantage of three Bulldog errors.
“It was a good team win,” Lemon Bay coach Kim Pinkham said. “Top to bottom, there were hits throughout the lineup and there were nice defensive plays made. Mack gutted it out for seven innings, and what else can you do then win for your only senior on Senior Night?”
The Mantas scored single runs in the first two innings. Savannah Taylor drove in a run in the first with a sacrifice fly and Kylie Jones had an RBI single in the second inning.
Lemon Bay scored three times in the third inning. With one out, Taylor Jones doubled and scored on Taylor’s single. A Bulldogs error put runners at the corners, and Taylor came home on a come-backer to the pitcher by Lauren Wise. Nyah Carson followed with a single to score courtesy runner Paige Guardiola and make it 5-0.
The fourth inning was the only one in which Lemon Bay did not score, but the Mantas added another in the fifth on a single by Vaughan, a sacrifice bunt by Wise and a throwing error.
Lemon Bay added three more in the bottom of the sixth as Jones reached on an error, Taylor singled and Vaughan drove them both home with a triple to the wall in right center. Wise then brought in Vaughan with a base hit to make it 9-0.
Vaughan got the first two outs easily in the top of the seventh, but ran into a problem while facing Juliette Wolcott.
“I don’t know what happened,” Vaughan said. “I threw a pitch, looked down and my thumb was stuck and I was like, all right, give me a minute. I needed a couple of pitches, did my thing, and got back out there.”
Vaughan proceeded to walk Wolcott, then Erin Jones and Joni Taylor followed with singles to break up the shutout before Vaughan got a strikeout to end the game.
“That was kind of hard to lose the shutout,” Vaughan said. “But a win is a win. It’s all good.”
Vaughan gave up six hits, walked two and struck out seven as the Mantas raised their record to 7-8, while DeSoto fell to 9-8.
“I was excited,” Vaughan said. “I’m glad my team had my back to carry me for the win for Senior Night.”
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