ELLSINORE – Poplar Bluff was rolling with the bats to the tune of 20 hits as they handled East Carter 19-2 on Thursday. With the win, the Mules snap a seven game losing streak.

"We really opened it up," Poplar Bluff coach Aaron Duncan said. "Hitting is contagious when you're seeing the ball find gaps and holes and we can get on a roll like that."

The Mules scored nine runs in the sixth to put the game well out of reach. Madelyn Hefner was the big bat in the lineup going 3-for-4 with four RBIs, three of them coming on a home run in the fourth that just barely cleared the fence.

Defensively the Mules did a solid job of keeping the Redbirds off the board as East Carter stranded seven runners. Clara Rahlmann got the start in the circle and gave up only two earned runs in the first.

"It's a little frustrating at this point," East Carter coach Teresa Kearbey-LeGrand said. "The bottom of our order is inexperienced and didn't make much contact with runners on."

After East Carter (7-18) got out to a 2-0 lead, the Mules (7-20) tied it up at two with a run in the second and a run in the third.

In the fourth, Hefner gave Poplar Bluff the lead for good with her big fly to make it 5-2 Mules. From there, Poplar Bluff took advantage of miscues and free passes in order to run away with it scoring five runs in the fifth and nine in the sixth as 14 hitters stepped up to the plate.

All nine Mules in the batting order had at least one hit and one run scored in the game.

With the loss on Thursday, East Carter has only won once in their last nine games.

Both teams have one more regular season game before their respective district tournaments. Poplar Bluff will be in Oakville for the Class 5 District 1 Tournament.

"We'll have to go up and swing the bats and see what happens in district," Duncan said. "There hasn't been a lot of consistency among the teams in our district."

For East Carter, they'll be in the Class 2 District 1 Tournament at Three Rivers College.

"We're the bottom seed in district," Kearbey-LeGrand said. "We've got a lot of work to do.'

East Carter will host Norwood on Friday while Poplar Bluff will be returning home to play West Plains on Saturday.e