Wright City used an early offensive explosion and a strong pitching performance to top New Haven and win for the third time in the past four games.

Wright City (3-6) beat New Haven 15-0 Tuesday. The win came in four innings.

After Mason Kunkel held New Haven scoreless in the top half of the first inning, Wright City scored 11 runs in the bottom half of the inning. The first six runs of the game scored before New Haven recorded one out.

Logan McCartney and Logan Kellner both reached base to put runners on second and third base with no outs. Kyle Johnson hit a pitch over the left field fence to give Wright City an early 3-0 lead. The early home run helped ease the pressure off the rest of the hitters, Wright City coach Ryan Raterman believes.

“It definitely helps easing pressure by knowing that we can not relax but we can kind of take a different approach and just kind of sink in to where our crosshairs are going to be and have good at-bats,” Raterman said.

After Johnson’s home run, Hayden Waters singled and scored on Bryce Williams’ double. Courtesy runner Micah Boeckman stole third base and scored when the throw got past the New Haven infielder. Nick Moore walked and stole second base. He advanced to third base after the stolen base when New Haven did not cover third base. Moore scored on a ball that got past the New Haven catcher.

Wright City added five additional runs in the inning. Hayden Waters hit a two-run home run to cap the scoring for the inning. Waters hit another home run in the third inning.

Kunkel pitched four scoreless innings for Wright City. Kunkel struck out six New Haven batters. The big lead early in the game also was beneficial to Kunkel, Raterman said.

“Mason now had an 11-run lead, and he can just spot up, throw fastballs and take care of business,” Raterman said. “I wouldn’t say so much so on the offensive side but as a defense and a pitcher, knowing it’s ok to make a mistake. It was just a good day to start the week.”

Raterman believes if Wright City can continue to steal bases and add power through the lineup, they will be a tough lineup the rest of the season.

“We’ve got some guys in the lineup that have the power and it shows,” Raterman said. “They weren’t wind-aided. They were bombs. So hopefully those guys moving forward can have a little bit of swag at the plate and continue that power stretch.”

After starting the season 0-5, the Wildcats have won three of their last four games. The recent stretch of wins should help the team’s confidence as they move forward in the season, Raterman believes.

“We know what our standard is and that’s to be 15-plus wins on the season,” Raterman said. “But it doesn’t matter if we lose out, because the postseason matters for us. Even though we were up so big, we’re working on little things to execute our offense. It’s no different than basketball. If you’re up by 20 points or down by 20, you want to work your offense and work on something to better yourself for the next game and moving forward.”

Wright City will host South Callaway today. First pitch is slated for 4:30 p.m. They are also scheduled to square off against Warrenton and Fort Zumwalt East Saturday. Warrenton will host the games. Wright City is scheduled to face Warrenton at 11 a.m. and Fort Zumwalt East at 1 p.m. The Wildcats will host Louisiana High School Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.