Poplar Bluff shortstop Breanna Moore, center, throws to first to complete a double play after forcing out Kennett's Haley Morrow at second to end the fourth inning Monday at Rains Field. (Brian Rosener/DAR)

By BRIAN ROSENER ~ DAR Sports Editor

Poplar Bluff's bloop hits found holes in Kennett's defense Monday while the Lady Mules were error-free in helping Brandy Perry throw a three-hit shutout, 4-0, at Three Rivers' Rains Field.

"You put the ball in play, good things can happen," Lady Mules softball coach Dustin Benson said. "That's what we did today. We stuck our bat out there and met the ball, it found a hole or they misplayed a couple of balls and it turned out good for us."

The Lady Mules (10-7) started rallies in the third and fourth innings with bloop hits down the lines before taking advantage of throwing errors by the normally sure-handed Lady Indians (7-2).

"That's what carried us through every ballgame is our defense," Kennett coach Laurie Vaughan said. "It struggled today. I guess you could say this is our one bad defensive day, let's not have any more."

Kennett's offense didn't help much, as the Lady Indians were shutout for the second time this season against a larger Class 4 school.

Haley Morrow's one-out single in the fourth inning was erased by a double play and Brittney McNew was thrown out with a strong throw trying to stretch a double into a triple in the previous frame for Kennett.

"They were huge," Benson said. "Who was in the middle of both those plays?"

Poplar Bluff left fielder Jerica Wawak makes a running catch for the second out of the seventh inning Monday at Rains Field. (Brian Rosener/DAR) [Click to enlarge]

Shortstop Breanna Moore, who took care of three more groundouts and also drove in Poplar Bluff's final run with a double in the fifth inning.

The Lady Mules broke a scoreless tie in the third when Meagan Stucker's bloop down the left field line started the inning. Kennett then misplayed Perry's bunt attempt trying to get the lead runner and Jerica Wawak moved both runners up with a sacrifice bunt of her own. With two outs, Kelly Kelm got an infield hit just past pitcher Laurel Joes to put the Lady Mules ahead 1-0.

A two-out rally in the fourth gave Poplar Bluff a 3-0 lead when Chelsea Coleman's bloop down the right-field line fell in for a hit. The junior moved to second on a throwing error and later scored when Stucker's bloop to right field fell in as second baseman Kalee Gore and right fielder Jordan Malady collided. Perry's single to the right-field gap scored Stucker.

A throwing error on Hailey Foust's bunt to start the fifth set up Poplar Bluff's final run.

"Poplar Bluff put the ball in play and that's a big part of it," Vaughan said. "Once you put it in play, then you have to make the defense work and today we didn't work."

Perry struck out two of the first five hitters she faced but didn't get another the rest of the game. The junior also didn't walk a hitter, going to a 3-ball count just once, relying on her defense to help pick up her second shutout in the last three games.

"Brandy pitched great today," Benson said. "Not only are they good defensively, they've got some good sticks on that team. You can tell by the way they're just cutting.

"She was going right at them and our defense was backing her up."

With one out in the seventh, Morrow singled to the rightfield gap but only after centerfielder Alex West bobbled a running catch in the gap. Gore followed with a single down the right-field line to put a Kennett runner in scoring position for the first time Monday.

Wawak made a snow-cone catch in chasing down Allyson Luce's drive to the left-field gap for the second out before Perry induced a groundout to first base to end the threat and the game.

"We've got to keep building on this," Benson said. "That's what I've been preaching since Day 1 is just continue to get better.

"I don't want to jinx us, but we're going the right way. Let's just hope we continue to go that way and get ready for districts."

Notes: The two teams meet again next Monday in Kennett. … The game Monday was pushed back an hour and moved to Three Rivers Community College because Bacon Park was still wet from rain over the weekend. … Kennett's other loss was 1-0 to Jackson. … Moore was 1-for-3 with an RBI but saw her average dip to .456 in picking up her team-leading seventh double of the season. Stucker, who scored twice, had a hit and reached on an error while Kelm, Stucker and Wawak each moved up runners with a sacrifice bunt.