Fulton Hornets head coach Darren Masek had a feeling his team might be in for a low-scoring game against the rival Mexico Bulldogs.
Not only was Masek proven correct, his Hornets came up with just enough offense to make the difference.
Propped up by a lone unearned run in the second inning and a third consecutive shutout by senior pitcher Dalton Horstmeier, Fulton clipped Mexico 1-0 in North Central Missouri Conference play Thursday night at the high school athletic complex.
Fulton (8-2, 4-1) managed just three hits, but Horstmeier struck out 11, scattered three hits and gave up a walk as the Hornets won their sixth in a row.
Horstmeier (3-0) shut out Kirksville 1-0 last Saturday, blanked Marshall 3-0 on March 28 and has allowed only one earned run in eight appearances this season.
"He's been tough, he's throwing a lot of strikes and they're obviously not going to get a lot of hits off of him," Masek said. "And when he's not walking people and putting guys on base, they're going to have a hard time scoring."