Nixa, Mo. — Friday's matchup between Nixa and Bolivar had everything you'd expect from an early-season heavyweight clash.

Two undefeated records, two premier pitchers and two teams looking to make a statement.

A clutch hit from Drue Lawrence and a dominant performance in the circle from Morgan Jones helped propel the Lady Eagles to a 7-4 victory.

Nursing a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the third, Lawrence slapped a single up the middle to drive in Payton Ward and Jaden LaBarge.

The senior center fielder went 3-for-4 at the plate and found herself dialed in on Bolivar's hard-throwing Katie Brooks.

"I was really nervous," Lawrence said. "My first hit of the game was a good one, so it just triggered me to be mentally prepared. I had two outs on me, so I just choked up on the bat, put it together and got a base hit. I was just really excited I could get a big hit off a really good pitcher."

Brooks, known for plenty of velocity and an arsenal of pitches, struggled a bit in the early innings with movement across the plate.

Nixa rang up 12 hits on the afternoon and found repeated success early in the count. Head coach Matt Walker discussed his team's approach with Bolivar's ace, a Florida State commit.

"[Brooks] throws hard, and she's a good pitcher," Walker said. "Our approach was to swing early and often; to try and get to her before she can throw all her junk. She's got five or six pitches, and we didn't want to see them all."

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