A bounce back victory.

That is what Randis Sanders’ Belle Lady Tiger softball team was looking for Friday night hosting Crocker’s Lady Lions one night removed from a 10-2 loss in a Maries County and Gasconade Valley Conference (GVC) softball showdown.

Nursing a 5-3 lead after two innings, Belle turned six hits and two walks into five runs in the bottom of the third inning before going on to a 16-4 mercy-rule victory in six innings over the visiting Lady Lions.

Trailing 1-0 entering the bottom of the first inning, Lady Tiger sophomore shortstop Aubrey Rehmert quickly tied the game at 1-1 with a leadoff solo home run to left field.

Dakota Butcher then doubled and scored giving Belle a 2-1 lead before Nevaeh Kinsey walked and scored on a Victoria Busch RBI sacrifice fly pushing the Lady Tiger lead to 3-1 after one inning.

Crocker answered with a pair of runs in the top of the second to knot the game at 3-3 entering the bottom half of the second inning.

Adding to her leadoff home run, Rehmert walked and scored on an error putting Belle back on top 4-3 before Natalie Gehlert singled and scored on a Butcher RBI single giving the Lady Tigers a 5-3 lead after two innings.

With Kinsey holding Crocker scoreless in the top of the third inning, that gave Belle’s offense a chance to add to their lead in the bottom half of the third.

After Busch grounded out to start the frame, Miranda Sanders deposited a 1-0 pitch over the center-field fence for a solo home run and a 6-3 Lady Tiger lead.

Malorie Reasor singled and scored later in the frame on an Ileana Sullinger RBI single bumping the Belle lead to 7-3.

Walks to Rehmert and Gehlert loaded the bases for Butcher with two outs and she delivered again.

Hitting a bases-clearing double to left-center field, Butcher helped Belle to a 10-3 lead after three innings.

Kinsey threw another scoreless inning of softball in the top of the fourth inning to give her offense a chance at more run support.

Batting from the eighth spot in the line up, Savannah Perkins joined the long ball parade depositing the first pitch of her bottom of the fourth at bat over the center-field fence for a solo home run and an 11-3 Belle lead after four innings.

After Crocker got a run back in the top of the fifth inning, Belle answered in the bottom half of the frame.

Gehlert singled with one out before scoring on a Butcher RBI single pushing Belle’s lead to 12-4 after five innings.

Holding Crocker scoreless in the top of the sixth inning, the Lady Tigers had a shot in the bottom of the sixth to score enough runs so that they would not have to go back on to the field in the top of the seventh.

Sanders led the bottom of the sixth off with a walk before scoring on a Perkins RBI single.

After Sullinger recorded her second single of the game, Rehmert came to the plate with two runners on and only one out.

With one more swing of her bat, the returning All-State sophomore sent everyone home with a walk off three-run home run to dead center field giving Belle a 16-4 mercy-rule victory in six innings.

Kinsey earned the win allowing three runs (two earned) on 10 hits and two walks to go with two strikeouts.

Butcher showed the way for the Lady Tiger offense with a team-high four hits and five runs batted in.

Perkins followed with three hits, two runs scored and a RBI on her solo home run.

Sullinger, Gehlert, Sanders and Rehmert all added two hits apiece.

Both of Rehmert’s hits were home runs with her also scoring four runs and drawing two walks.

Gehlert also scored three runs for the Lady Tigers with Sanders, Perkins and Sullinger crossing the plate twice.

Belle will be in action tonight (Wednesday) on the road in Iberia taking on the Lady Rangers with a 5 p.m., first pitch in varsity-only softball action.