The Fulton Lady Hornets softball team leaned on a late rally against a former North Central Missouri Conference adversary to get back on track.
Fulton broke a 3-all tie by putting up four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to knock off the Boonville Lady Pirates 7-3 at the high school athletic complex Monday night.
The Lady Hornets - who suffered their first loss of the season at home to NCMC rival Mexico 6-1 last Thursday night - improved to 8-1 overall.
Fulton got off to a fast start Monday night by scoring three runs in the first. Sophomore right fielder Payton Mosley drew a one-out walk and scored on sophomore first baseman Paige Clines' two-out double to center.
Clines advanced to third on the throw home and after freshman second baseman Alex Trowbridge was hit by a pitch, senior shortstop Haden Trowbridge drove in both runners with a single to center.
Boonville countered with a run in the top of the second and then came up with two runs in the fifth to pull even at 3-all.
In the Lady Hornets' half of the fifth, sophomore catcher Kayla Neal raced home on a passed ball with one out to put Fulton in front to stay. Junior designated player Taylor Kettle then singled to left, scoring Mosley to make it 5-3.
Kettle eventually scored on an error and Alex Trowbridge's groundout brought home freshman courtesy runner Elexis Clark to put the Lady Hornets up 7-3.
Haden Trowbridge and Kettle both finished 2-for-3 as Fulton collected seven hits. Clines, sophomore third baseman Sydney Hedgpath and senior center fielder Grace Sparks were each 1-for-3.
Sophomore starter Hayden Echelmeier picked up the victory for the Lady Hornets, allowing three runs - two earned - on five hits in five innings. Echelmeier (2-0) struck out four and issued three walks.
Kettle worked two perfect innings of relief, striking out three, to earn her first save of the season.
"We jumped out early, but that's three Mondays in a row where we really haven't come ready to play early in the game," Fulton head coach Tim Echelmeier said. "Hayden pitched through a couple of tough innings to keep us in there - Taylor came in, in the sixth, and was lights out.
"The third time through the lineup, the offense took over."
The Lady Hornets play an NCMC doubleheader at Marshall at 4 p.m. Thursday.