A slugfest between the Mendota and Plano varsity softball teams went to the Reapers, 16-15, in eight innings on March 31 at Plano.

Both teams combined for 36 hits, with 21 coming from the Lady Trojans. Leah Henkel led the Mendota offense with four singles and three runs batted in. Ava Eddy (two singles, double) and Karson Doyle (three singles, two RBI) delivered three hits apiece, while picking up two hits each were Emily Diaz (triple, single, two RBI), Charlee Dankenbring (single, double), Cassie Gonzalez (two singles), Addison Perryman (two singles) and Sydney Tolley (two singles).

Mendota built an 8-2 lead heading to the bottom of the third when Plano struck for three runs. Each team pushed one run across in the fourth, and then the Reapers plated seven runs in the fourth to grab a 13-9 lead.

The Lady Trojans managed to tie the game after regulation and then Plano won it in the eighth.

***

Mendota swatted the ball all over the yard in a 17-12 triumph over Ashton-Franklin Center on April 1 at Ashton. The Lady Trojans produced 18 hits and had two big scoring innings to get past the Lady Raiders.

AFC took a 1-0 lead in the first and Mendota tied it with a run in the third. Then in the top of the fourth, the Lady Trojans sent 14 batters to the plate and eight of them scored. Tolley, Karissa Freeman, Henkel and Dankenbring all singled in the frame, with Freeman driving in one run and Dankenbring plating two. Perryman added an RBI sacrifice fly and Freeman drove in another run in her second at-bat of the inning when she was hit by a pitch.

Mendota had 11 batters go to the dish in the sixth and six of them touched home plate on seven hits. Perryman collected an RBI double, while Doyle, Henkel, Alexis Nave and Gonzalez had run-scoring singles. Eddy and Hayley Diaz also singled in the inning.

AFC had a big sixth inning of its own, plating six runs. Mendota added two big insurance runs in the seventh on singles by Tolley, Hayley Diaz (RBI) and Eddy (RBI).

Tolley was the starting pitcher and Eddy finished up in the circle.

***

The Lady Trojans dropped a 17-6 decision to Rochelle on April 3 at the MHS field in a six-inning game halted by the 10-run rule.

Rochelle scored in all but one inning. The Hubs were up 9-2 after three innings and then put five runs on the board in the fourth to pull away.

Mendota had 12 hits in the contest. Gonzalez picked up three singles, while Perryman clouted a solo home run and a single, and Eddy singled twice.

Henkel took the pitching loss.