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Morgan Foley of Assumption retired the first 17 Mercy batters and struck out 18 Jaguars in a 1-0, eight-inning victory Wednesday night at the Rockets’ field.

But the senior right-hander, who allowed only two hits and walked one, needed help from batterymate Emily Wiley before nailing down the victory in a matchup of top-10 teams — Mercy is No. 4 and Assumption No. 10 in the state coaches’ poll.

Wiley, a junior, led off the bottom of the eighth.

“Before she went up to bat I told Wiley if she got on base we could win this game with her speed,” Assumption coach Jennifer Hunt said.

A left-handed hitter, Wiley bunted down the third-base line. When third baseman Tori Lasley threw wildly over first base, Wiley ran all the way to third on the error. Lasley then fielded Cassidy Janes’ grounder and threw home, but Wiley slid in ahead of the ball.

“I was just thinking about running (to first),” she said about reaching on the error. “When I saw where the ball went, I knew I could get to third.”

The Rockets will take a 29-6 record into the district tournament next week. Mercy is 27-6.

“It was a huge win, and it was over one of the best high-powered teams around,” Hunt said. “Talk about getting momentum after beating a team of that caliber.”

Mercy right-hander JJ Francis (22-4), who has signed with Murray State, allowed only three hits, walking one and striking out six in a game interrupted by a 50-minute storm delay.

Foley (25-4-1), who will pitch for the University of Indianapolis, had a perfect game until Lasley blooped a single to right-center with two out in the sixth. She was thrown out trying to steal second.

Carolina Keck doubled down the right-field line to open the Jaguars’ eighth inning. Erika Downey sacrificed her to third, but Foley struck out pinch-hitters Randi Hawsley and Leigh Ellen Thomas.

“I had confidence in myself,” said Foley, who was coming off a 2-0 loss to Allison Foster and Christian Academy on Tuesday. “It was just another inning.”

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