Does "slug" mean "strike heavily"?

Context:

when anyone else was in the house. In order to survive, I had to
buy time. I stole a glance at the kitchen clock behind me. The
second hand seemed to creep ever so slowly. To keep Mother
off balance, I began to ask whining questions. This infuriated
her even more, and Mother began to rain blows around my head
and chest. The more Mother slugged me, the more I began to
realize I had won! Anything was better than burning on the
stove.