Dalton baseball 10-3 in WCAL entering tournament
PHOTOS BY LISA McGINTY | LMc Photography
By ARIEL STAHLER
Gazette & News sports writer
As the start of tournament action is quickly approaching, Dalton High School’s varsity baseball team is on the right track for success. After a loss to Norwayne early in the week, the Dawgs came back the next day to defeat the Bobcats and finished the week with a win over Strasburg.
“We are playing very well defensively right now,” said Dalton’s head coach Scott Huth. “Our pitchers, especially Seth (Wyckoff) and Justin (Basinger) and Will (Carmichael), are doing a good job of throwing strikes and keeping us in games. We are still not completely hitting like we are capable of as a team, but we are scoring enough runs to win lately, and that is what matters at this time of year. The two games with Norwayne and the one game with a very good Strasburg team, and especially the win over Norwayne, were all exciting games and good for our team and program as we head into the tournaments. I’m happy and excited for the guys and looking forward to the tournament.”
Dalton fell to visiting Norwayne 4-2 May 9. Will Carmichael homered in the second inning to put the Dawgs on the board. The Bobcats tied the score in the top of the second. Dalton took the lead once again with one run in the third inning. Norwayne evened the score again in the fourth inning before scoring two runs in the fifth inning to secure the win. Seth Wyckoff received the loss. He gave up four runs on eight hits in six innings of work and he struck out six hitters.
The Dawgs fought through extra innings against host Norwayne and came out on top with the 5-3 win in 10 innings May 10. Dalton put up two runs in the top of the second inning before Norwayne cut into the lead with one run in the bottom of the inning. The Bobcats tied things up with a run in the fifth. Both teams traded runs in the eighth inning and neither team scored in the ninth to send the game into extras. Jack Steiner was hit by a pitch to lead off the 10th inning, followed by a single from Talan Greegor. Bryce Johnson singled home Steiner to take the lead. With one out, Greegor scored for the insurance run. The Bobcats could not respond in the bottom of the inning as the Dawgs left with the victory. Carmichael was the winning pitcher after giving up one run on two hits, issuing two walks and striking out two batters. Justin Basinger received the save.
Dalton collected an 8-7 win over Strasburg at home May 12. Strasburg scored first with four runs in the third inning. The Dawgs battled back with four runs of their own in the bottom of the inning to tie the score. The Tigers pulled ahead with three runs in the sixth inning. Dalton once again came from behind to plate four runs in the bottom of the seventh to get the win. Cade Mullet was the winning pitcher.
The Dawgs will finish the regular season with a makeup game against Chippewa May 16. Dalton has a 14-8 overall record and a 10-3 WCAL record. If the Dawgs win against Chippewa, they will end the season in a three-way tie with Norwayne and Waynedale for the WCAL championship. If Dalton loses, they will drop to third place in the league. Both Norwayne and Waynedale finished conference play with an 11-3 record.
Dalton holds the No. 1 seed in the Division IV Medina tournament. They will play the winner of No. 8 Cornerstone Christian/No. 9 Andrews Osborne in the sectional final May 17.
