DCHS Has Two Game Lead in Region Standings
By EDDY GIFFORD
Sports Writer
Photo by Eddy Gifford – Adilyn Gross made the play at first base in action last week. The Lady Wolverines can claim the region championship this week with a win and a Chattooga loss. They have a two-game lead with three games remaining.
The Dade County High School Lady Wolverine softball team hosted the Lakeview Ft. Oglethorpe Lady Warriors on Monday, Sept. 25, in a non-region game.
Dade got off to a fast start, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning on three hits including a pair of doubles and a stolen base.
The Lady Wolverines added to their lead in the third inning, scoring two runs on three hits to go up 5-0 after three innings of play.
The Lady Warriors got things going their way in the top of the fourth inning when they scored five runs to tie the game on six hits and a pair of walks to tie the game at 5-5.
In the top of the sixth inning LFO got a leadoff single and then two quick outs before erupting for seven runs, five of with were unearned, to take a commanding 12-5 lead.
The Lady Wolverines answered with a run in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 12-6, and then the Lady Warriors failed to score in the top of the seventh after getting two runners on.
In the bottom of the seventh, trailing 12-6, Adilyn Gross singled to start the inning and Lexi Lawson followed with a single. With one out, Riley Talley reached on an error to load the bases.
A fielder’s choice and a Lady Warrior error scored one run leaving the Lady Wolverines with two runners own with two outs and still trailing 12-7.
Rylee Byram singled to score, Lilah Wilson singled to score another run, KK Castleberry doubled to score two and cut the lead to 12-11.
Gross singled for the second time in the inning scoring one to tie the game 12-12. Lawson got her second hit of the inning to load the bases and Falyn Baggett singled on a line drive to right field to score the winning run in a wild game, 13-12.
Lawson picked up the win, pitching five innings and also collected four hits and two RBIs to lead the Lady Wolverines.
Castleberry had three hits, two RBI’s and scored two runs while Gross also had three hits and one RBI. Kayleigh Warnock had two hits, one RBI and scored two runs.
It was another big region game on Thursday when the Lady Wolverines traveled to Trion to take on the Lady Bulldogs, the second-place team in the region.
The first two innings were scoreless as both pitchers dominated early. In the top of the third, Byram got things started with a leadoff double. She advanced to third on a groundout to second and scored the game’s first run on a sacrifice fly by Castleberry.
Warnock then hit a triple and scored on an error before another Lady Bulldog error led to a run and put Dade up 3-0.
In the top of the fourth, the first two batters reached base on Trion errors. Wilson singled to load the bases, and after a strikeout, Warnock hit a grand slam home run to put the Lady Wolverines up 7-0.
In the sixth inning, DCHS added another run on a single by Warnock, stolen base by pinch runner Kiera Hughes and a single by Gross scored Hughes leaving Dade with a 8–0 win over the second ranked region team.
Warnock pitched her most dominating game of the season, going seven innings, throwing only 84 pitches, giving up three hits, and striking out 10. Over 80 percent of her pitches were strikes, and she did not walk a batter.
Warnock came up big at the plate too, getting three hits including a grand slam home run and four RBI’s. Gross also had three hits and one RBI.
This week, the Lady Wolverines traveled to Pepperell on Tuesday and will host Armuchee on Monday, Oct. 9 and Chattooga on Wednesday, Oct. 11 to end regular season play.
The Lady Wolverines currently have a two-game lead in the region and can claim the championship with two wins in their last three games.
