Miles Mulkey is the kind of pitcher who thrives when faced with adversity.

The senior right-hander proved that Tuesday in a 5-1 win over Wichita Falls Rider that gave Denton sole possession of first place in District 5-4A.

For the Denton Record-Chronicle/David Minton

Teammates congratulate Denton’s Christian Perry, second from left, after Perry hit a home run against Wichita Falls Rider on Tuesday. The Broncos won 5-1. Click here for more photos.

With Denton nursing a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, Mulkey walked the first two batters then had a full count on Rider’s No. 5 hitter, Nathan Seay. Mulkey threw a sharp breaking ball for a called third strike, and then he struck out the next two batters on seven pitches.

“He came back and battled, and he got out of it without any runs,” Denton head coach Marty Green said. “That’s the kind of pitcher he is. He pitches well in adverse conditions.”

Denton (11-4, 5-0) took over the top spot in district with the victory, as Rider (9-10, 3-1) was the only other team undefeated in district play coming into the contest. Denton will square off with second-place Ryan on Tuesday.

Mulkey pitched six innings and allowed only two hits, a pair of singles early in the game. Mulkey had the Rider batters dismayed at times with his curveball. He used his fastball to setup the opposing batters, and when he got a two-strike count, Mulkey delivered his curveball as the strikeout pitch.

Mulkey had a dozen strikeouts in his fourth win of the season.

“He has a really good breaking ball that compliments his fastball,” Green said. “When he is getting his curveball over, he’s really tough.”

Christian Perry opened up the Denton offense with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning. Perry drilled a fastball from Rider pitcher Brett Rogers over the left-field wall.

“It was a good way to start the game,” Green said of the home run. “That was a big hit by Christian.”

Rogers settled down for Rider after the first inning and kept the Raiders in the game. Rogers had six strikeouts through the first five innings before allowing a barrage of runs in the sixth.

“Their pitcher did a great job,” Green said. “We knew coming in that he was going to be tough. He pitched a good game. Most of the game was what we thought it would be – a pitchers’ duel.”

After Mulkey battled out of the top of the sixth, the Denton hitters reeled off four runs in the bottom half of the inning. Perry had a leadoff single to start the inning, followed by a double from Hunter Dozier down the left-field line that was just inside third base. Colton Nolen then hit a two-run single. Barrett Gilbert also had an RBI single later in the inning as Denton added insurance runs.

“It was a tight ballgame, and we finally broke through at the end,” Green said. “It’s a lot easier going into the bottom of the seventh with a five-run lead than a one-run lead. It gave us a little cushion.”

Abel Baker pitched the seventh inning for Denton, picking up his third save in district play. After allowing the first two batters to reach base, Baker responded by striking out three of the next four to end the game.

“Abel came in and did a good job,” Green said. “He relaxed a little bit and shut the door.

“This win sets the stage for next week, but right now we’ll enjoy this one.”

BRAD McDONNELL can be reached at 940-566-6869. His e-mail address is bmcdonnell@dentonrc.com .

Denton 5, Wichita Falls Rider 1

WP – Miles Mulkey (4-0). LP — Brett Rogers (3-2). SV – Abel Baker (3). 2B — D: Abel Baker, Hunter Dozier. HR – D: Christian Perry. Records: Denton (11-4, 5-0), Wichita Falls Rider (9-10, 3-1).