Softball was the furthest thing from Will Davis' mind Monday morning.
Davis' Puxico Lady Indians, slated to open play in the MSHSAA Class 1 District 3 tournament, had their world turned upside down when the Wappapello Lake began to rise, closing Highway T and flooding areas where most of the players live.
One day they were preparing for a postseason run, the next they were moving possessions out of their basements and filling sandbags to protect their homes.
It was the same for all of the area coaches making preparations for postseason play this week -- check on friends and family first, worry about your game last.
But as the Lady Indians can attest, sticking to a normal routine is the best way to cope with stressful situations.
Third-seeded Puxico blocked out any distraction, as it pounded out 13 runs in the first inning and cruised to a 16-1 victory in five innings over No. 6 Risco.
"It's good to get away from it all even if it's just for a few hours because it's stressful back home," Davis said. "This is a situation with a lot of unknowns, especially with flood waters, and right now I've got two girls stuck at home with their families and they can't get out.
"There's a lot going on and for them to be able to come out and be a part of a sport that allows them to forget about that for just a little bit is healthy."
Puxico (9-12) advanced to face second-seeded Bernie in a semifinal at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
If the flooding bothered the 15 players who make up Puxico's roster, Davis didn't notice.
After giving up a run on a two-out walk, a hit and a passed ball to the Tigers (2-9) in the top of the first, the Lady Indians' offense exploded.
Puxico's first 13 batters reached and 12 came around to score before Risco recorded the second out of the frame.
"Once we got onto the field and into our routine, I don't know if it even crossed their minds," he said.
Bailey Burns reached on an error to start things off while Kyliee Miller and Kaiti Payne were hit by pitches to load the bases for Katelyn Pierre. The senior launched a double off the fence in left-center field to clear the bases, then scored on consecutive passed balls for a 4-1 lead.
The Lady Indians loaded the bases again as Gabby Baker, Mckenzie Smith and Carley Siler all drew walks. The Tigers got Baker out at home when Kylie Moore grounded into a fielder's choice. But Erin Cornellus and Burns kept the runs coming with two more bases-loaded free passes to push it to 6-1.
Moore and Cornellus came around to score on passed balls during the next at-bat before Miller drove in Burns with a double.
Pierre drove in her fourth RBI of the inning with a single while Smith and Siler each added RBI doubles to cap the momentous inning.
In all, Puxico had six hits, sent 17 batters to the plate and got a run from all but one starter in its monstrous first inning.
"I've seen that out of the first inning before against really good teams and the next six, nothing," Davis said. "If we can keep hitting the ball all the way through the game, we're going to be OK, but we've got to make sure we do that. That's the main thing."
Burns, who was 1 for 1 with two walks and four runs scored, kept the runs coming with an RBI single to plate Cornellus, who led off the second by reaching on an error.
Pierre finished 3 for 3 day and added her second RBI single two batters later to push the lead to 15-1.
Miller added an RBI groundout in the fourth that scored Burns, who walked with one out, stole second and beat a throw at the plate to end the game.
The run support was more than enough for Kaiti Payne, who only gave up two hits, walked four and hit a batter. She worked out of a bases loaded jam in the first inning and finished with three strikeouts.