After six innings without a baserunner, Mexico finally mustered some offense against Jaylynn Brown.

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The Centralia sophomore pitcher has been dominant this season with a sub-1.00 ERA and seven double-digit strikeouts games after Tuesday’s 4-1 loss for Mexico at Centralia (10-2). Brown was even sharper with a perfect game that lasted until Hannah Loyd’s leadoff single in the seventh inning that resulted in a run due to an outfield error.

The Little League home run provided the Lady Bulldogs (5-9) with a spark that preceded Brown’s first walk of the game, but Brown finished the seven innings with 15 strikeouts, one hit and one walk. Head coach Hanna Branch said her offense couldn’t adjust to Brown as soon it normally has this season.

“We were swinging at a lot of junk early in the count instead of just leaving the ball up the zone,” Branch said. “They were chasing after it. We weren’t learning from each other’s at-bats like we normally have so we were falling for the same pitches over and over again.”

Branch said Brown’s command and composure were excellent since she didn't lose any batters even after going to three-ball counts. All three Mexico hitters struck out in the second and third innings to help give Brown 10 strikeouts after four innings.

After that, the Lady Bulldogs still were getting out but made the Centralia defense work for those outs until Loyd’s hit that ignited excitement out of her dugout. The right fielder couldn’t keep Loyd’s missile in front of her, allowing Mexico to answer Centralia’s Little League home run that scored two runs in the first inning.

“She went up there determined,” Branch said. “I think she was a little frustrated with her previous at-bats. She just went up there with a different approach, and she looked for different pitches when she went up there. She was aggressive on the ones she needed to be on.”

Branch said she was going to send her home given Loyd’s head of steam and how needed that run was to the team. There was hope, all of a sudden, as Branch liked how the at-bats were going. 

“We were taking more quality at-bats toward the end,” Branch said. “We were learning from our mistakes a little bit. I wish we would’ve done it sooner in the game, but we were taking it one pitch at a time toward the end and swinging at better pitches.”

Mexico couldn’t overcome an early hole that happened after Centralia No. 2 hitter Ealynne Bostick putting down a bunt with a runner on first base. Two runs scored on the play that was made possible with a throwing error by Loyd into the outfield and then another error after that.

Bostick tried to lay down another bunt — this time with a runner bearing down from third base — only for the Lady Bulldogs to turn a 1-3-2 double play started by pitcher Keerstan Ewing, who allowed one earned run on eight hits in five innings. First baseman Landri Teel made a good throw to Loyd for the tag out at home, giving Teel another standout defensive play along with her effort to double off a runner after snagging a liner with the bases loaded in the sixth inning.

“We were a little flat-footed on that bunt,” Branch said. “On top of that, it was a bang-bang play and a tough throw that was in between in the bags. Once that ball gets past the infield, it snowballed into more errors. After we regrouped and said, ‘Hey, they’re probably going to small ball us a little bit,’ everybody on the infield was able to anticipate it coming. They kept it simple and thought next play and ball first — making sure they take care of the ball and get the first out.”