MAYO — After hammering a line drive off the fence for a double in his first at-bat, Dylan Mock stepped to the plate and hit an inside fastball over the fence in right field for an opposite-field home run.

The Lafayette High shortstop, now bigger and stronger in his senior season, put on a power display Thursday in the Hornets’ 14-1 run-rule victory against Hamilton County.

Mock finished 3-3 with seven RBIs, LHS pounded away with 11 hits and an eight-run fourth inning, and Jarrett Pearson threw five strong innings to help his team get an impressive district win.

“Hard work paid off,” said Mock, a Santa Fe college signee who put in extra time in the weight room this offseason. “Just getting good pitches to hit and seeing the ball really well.”

Hamilton County ace Brad Peacock entered the game with a 1-0 mark on the mound and having allowed just one earned run in 10 innings pitched. But the hard-throwing righty struggled for the first time this season against a deep LHS lineup.

Lafayette grabbed a 5-1 lead after two innings. For the Hornets, Max Byrd went 3-3 with a double and two RBIs and second baseman Dawson Mock hit a solo home run.  

“This is Max’s last game. He’s having surgery. I couldn’t be more happy for him to have such a good night,” said LHS coach Tim Hanson. “We’re going to miss him.”

Pearson gave up five hits — four of those coming during the second inning — but just one run. He threw all five innings.

“He does exactly what I ask him to do,” Hanson said of Pearson, his No. 2 starter. “You won’t rattle him. He knows how to throw strikes and give us a chance.”

The Trojans had an opportunity to score some runs during the second inning, but they had a runner thrown out at third base for the first out and then at home for the final out. Jerel Tolle had a double and Jaxon Smith had the lone RBI for HCHS.

“They were on fire tonight, we didn’t capitalize on a couple of things,” said Hamilton County coach Chris Howard, whose squad dropped its third straight game.