Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Dayton's Sarah Philips bunts against WP in a game earlier this season.
DAYTON - Getting all the fundamentals right from the start, the Lady Bulldogs beat TriCities Prep 13-3 in a five-inning home game Tuesday and advanced to the regional playoffs in Spokane on May 18.
The third-ranked Dayton softball team still faces second-ranked Waitsburg Prescott on Friday, but only to decide seeding for the next round of the playoffs, assistant coach Des Jones said.
Under the hot afternoon sun, Sam Harting pounded out a two-run homer in the first inning that ignited the scoring spirit in the girls. They came back in the third for 9 runs and scored a run each in the 4th and 5th to trigger the mercy rule and end the game early.
"We hit the ball really well," Jones said.
It wasn't the only thing the Bulldogs did right. They also bunted effectively, contained the other team's hits and performed perfectly in the outfield without any errors.
Pitcher Harting struck out nine players and allowed only four hits, three of which scored in the 5th inning when it was too little too late for the visiting Jaguars.
Harting's performance set the pace on offense and defense. She was 3 for 4 at bat and her home run inspired her teammates, Jones said.
"With this team, hits are contagious," she said. "It gives them that confidence they need."
In the critical 3rd inning, Dayton advanced runners on Jaguar errors, while the Lady Dogs made successful sacrifice bunts to help their cause.
Dayton scored the first four of the 3rd without any outs, then lit the board with four more on two outs. In the game-winning 5th inning Jessica Tate advanced on an error. A hit from Harting loaded a second base and McKayla Bickelhaupt hit her fourth of the day to score Tate for the game-ending run.
"They were excited obviously," Jones said. "They get to extend the season by at least a week and a half."
WP, whom the Bulldogs face next, beat Dayton in a doubleheader earlier in the season, 9-8 and 7-0. To win against them this Friday in Walla Walla, the Lady Dogs will have to keep hitting well and perform well on defense, Jones said.
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