North opened Western Reserve Conference play on Friday with a 9-3 win over visiting Mayfield.

The win was the first for the Rangers since returning from Myrtle Beach and served as a bounce-back win after Thursday’s loss to Jefferson.

“It was good for us because we didn’t play our best (on Thursday), and we still didn’t really hit the next gear today, but we had a little better effort all-around as far as making plays and putting the bat on the ball, and putting a little pressure on the defense,” said North coach Matt McPeek. “The good news is there is a whole other gear or two we can get to and should get to, but we’ll take a win when we’re not playing our best.”

Mayfield struck first with a run in the top of the first inning when Lilly Pinzone led off with a double and scored on Ella Mikesell’s RBI single.

North responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning and never looked back.

Gianna Latini singled with one out, and Brynne Smith doubled to center field. Maddy Ferrari followed with a two-run single.

“It was good to see them not want to wait around to start attacking the ball,” McPeek said of his aggressive batters. “We don’t typically hit low velocity pitchers real well, but they made adjustments today. That was the difference between today and a couple of the other games that we haven’t played well in; they made adjustments at the plate to let the ball get deeper, and they tried to hit the ball the other way instead of trying to yank everything.”

North pitcher Bailey Licht pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the second, and her offense rewarded her with a four-spot in the bottom half of the inning.

Bella Dutko reached on an error, and Olivia Credico singled. After Ashley Sykes reached on a fielder’s choice, Latini drew another walk, and Latini and Smith scored on an error. Licht then singled home two more runs for a 6-1 lead.

Licht added a double later in the game.

“On my second at-bat, I got lucky with a bloop hit that scored a couple runs,” Licht said. “In my last at-bat, I was able to put some good contact on the ball and drive it to right field for a double.”

Mayfield scored two runs in the fourth on two walks and a single, but again, the Rangers responded.

Smith singled and scored on Melanie Okerwall’s RBI single. Sarah Avery drew a walk, and Dutko reached on an error loading the bases. Credico earned a free pass and an RBI that pushed North’s lead to 8-3.

The Rangers closed out the scoring with a run in the fifth.

Latini hit a leadoff single and scored on Licht’s RBI double.

Licht then shut out the Wildcats down the stretch to seal the win. She allowed three earned runs on five hits and struck out seven in a complete-game victory.

“It was cold and tough to get a feel for all of my pitches today,” Licht said. “I didn’t do very well today with staying ahead in the count, but I was able to pitch out of some jams when there were runners on base with my curveball and fastball.”

Licht went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and three RBI.

“Bailey has stepped right into Amanda (Dobida’s) role,” McPeek said. “She’s been the Iron Horse. She does enough to give us a chance to win almost every night.”

Latini finished the game 2-for-2 with two runs scored, and Smith and Okerwall also collected two hits. Ferrari, Avery, and Credico each finished with one hit.

“When you pencil in your (lineup) card, you hope it works the way it worked today,” McPeek said of his offense. “We don’t really have a weak spot, and today, that was an indication of the team that we want to be. We can be the team that doesn’t have a weak spot when we put our minds to it.”

North travels to Chardon on Monday.