Carl Junction Bulldogs blank Hillcrest 16-0

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Carl Junction High School's softball team plated 16 runs in the second inning en route to a three-inning run-rule win over the Hillcrest High School Hornets (2-11) Tuesday at CJHS.

Senior Jazmyne Blayney went 2 for 2 with five RBIs and two runs and hit a three-run homer in the Bulldogs' explosive second frame to lead CJ hitters.

Three other Bulldogs logged multiple hits in the game. Pitcher Aubrey Lisenbee was 2 for 2 with two RBIs and two runs and Kenleigh Palmer and Kinley Spindler both finished 2 for 3 with two RBIs and two runs each.

CJ (7-9) also ran rampant on the base paths, with nine stolen bases. Kady Hunt had three and Palmer finished with two.

"We like to be aggressive on the base paths," CJ head coach Mandy Bauer said. "Tonight, we took advantage of them (Hillcrest) not covering the bag and got runners in scoring position. We have a big game Thursday night against Bolivar, so we wanted to make sure we were practicing base running when we had the opportunity in certain situations."

The Bulldogs got on the board in the bottom of the second frame when Lisenbee drove in Braylen Johnson with a line drive single to left field.

Spindler made it a 3-0 game when she plated Lisenbee and Addi Gau with a single to center. A Palmer bunt scored Spindler, and Blayney increased the CJ lead to 6-0 with a line drive to left that brought Palmer and Hunt across the plate.

Blayney later scored on a wild pitch, Johnson drove in Gracie Arnold with a double to left field and Lisenbee made it 9-0 when she played Johnson with a liner to center field.

The CJ lead mushroomed to 12-0 when Gau doubled to left field and, after two Hillcrest errors, Lisenbee, Christy Marney and Gau all scored. Palmer then drove in Spindler.

Blayney put the icing on the cake for CJ with a three-run line drive over the center field fence that scored Palmer and Hunt and gave the Bulldogs a 16-0 lead.

"Jazmyne is a great kid. She has been on the struggle bus, so I really wanted her to have that at-bat so she could maybe get a big hit like she did and get back on the right path," Bauer said. "We've all kind of been on the struggle bus lately, but this week we understood the assignment and got back to work."

Blayney was succinct when asked about her homer.

"That was me, and that was my damage," Blayney said of the at-bat.

Lisenbee gave up one hit and no runs, while striking out four and walking none in two innings of work. She logged the win after hurling just 20 pitches.

CJ travels to Bolivar High School (11-5) for a 4:30 p.m. game Thursday and returns home to face Carthage High School (7-14) at 4:30 p.m. Monday.