Lady Dawgs finally take diamond for 2022 season
PHOTOS BY LISA McGINTY | LMc Photography
Dalton’s Joey Reynolds with the out at second.
Joey Reynolds and Ava Fivecoat celebrate an out.
By ARIEL STAHLER
Gazette & News sports writer
After the first games of the 2022 season were postponed because of weather and field conditions, Dalton High School’s varsity softball team was finally able to start their season. The Lady Dawgs lost two games to Norwayne and one game against Chippewa.
Dalton played its first game of the season at Norwayne Apr. 5 and the Bobcats won 10-1.
Norwayne put up three runs in the first inning and added one more in the second. The Lady Dawgs scored their only run of the game in the top of the fourth when Joey Reynolds came home on a passed ball. The Bobcats quickly erased Dalton’s gain when they scored one run in the bottom of the fourth. A five-run fifth inning by Norwayne put the game out of reach.
The Lady Dawgs fell 11-1 when they hosted the Bobcats Apr. 6. Norwayne once again took an early lead when they scored one run in the first inning and four more in the third. Emma Hostetler scored on a passed ball in the fourth inning for Dalton. The Bobcats scored once in the fifth inning and they plated five runs in the seventh.
Dalton’s home game against Chippewa Apr. 7 stayed close, but the Chipps pulled away late in the game to win 7-4. Chippewa led off the game by scoring one run in the first inning.
Dalton evened the score with a run of its own in the bottom of the second inning. The Lady Dawgs took their first lead of the season in the third inning when Lexi Vazquez smacked an RBI double to make the score 2-1. The Chipps regained the lead in the fourth when they plated two runs. Chippewa extended its lead with a three-run sixth inning and they scored another run in the top of the seventh. Dalton attempted a rally in the bottom of the seventh when Vazquez and Amber Jager both sent runners home with RBI doubles, but those two runs were not enough to overcome Chippewa.
Cadence Casto was the losing pitcher. She gave up six runs, five earned, on 14 hits in 5 1/3 innings of work. Casto issued three walks and struck out four batters.
“Every game that we played this week, we did progress, but there are things we still need to work on,” said Dalton’s head coach Pam Spencer. “It’s very early in the season, but I have high hopes for this team this year. Lexi Vazquez, Piper Cannon, Chloe Simmons, Joey Reynolds and Josslyn Reynolds are hitting well.”
Follow Ariel on Twitter @AStahlerDGKNews
