East Ridge pitcher Alexis Moore strode to the circle to start the top of the sixth inning as if it were any other inning.
She had no clue that she pitched the previous five innings without allowing a hit to Hixson.
Moore's dominance in the circle helped the Lady Pioneers defeat the Lady Wildcats 8-2 on Tuesday in the District 6-AA opener for both softball teams.
"I really had no idea that I had a no-hitter going," Moore said. "I just think about what batter is up there at the time.
"It feels great to know that my team depends on me, and it's great to know I have a great defense behind me."
Moore used her defense. She had only two strikeouts in seven innings and walked two.
In the final two innings -- after the Lady Pioneers had taken an 8-0 lead -- she allowed four hits and two runs with Michaela Penny hitting an RBI double and Brianna Wyatt smacking an RBI single just before getting tagged out in a pickle.
"We went out and played our game with confidence," East Ridge coach Sandy Mauser said. "We had a clutch hit here and there and a couple big innings."
Hixson had dominated the series in recent years. Moore and her teammates changed that momentum Tuesday.
She led off the East Ridge portion of the first inning with a single and scored on a single by Hannah Eldridge.
The Lady Pioneers (3-1) added four runs in the fourth inning. Freshman catcher Kati Kennedy delivered the big hit, a two-run double to the left-field fence. The Lady Pioneers added three runs in the fifth and sent nine batters to the plate and forced Hixson coach Jayme Miller to go to her bullpen.
"It was a good hit to get us a couple runs," Kennedy said. "The pitch was down the middle, in my powerhouse, and I just hit it."
Hixson (0-3) couldn't hit Moore until the sixth inning.
"We waited too late to get our timing down on the pitcher," Miller said. "East Ridge is a good hitting team and they pitched well today. We fell too short today."
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP.