Softball Recap: Gaylord Takes Down Ranked Dakota

Blue Devils

Margin (Wins)

04/22/25 vs Cadillac	22
04/22/25 vs Cadillac	15
04/12/25 vs Mt. Pleasant	11
05/10/25 vs Dakota	10
04/30/25 @ Traverse City West	9

Gaylord faced Dakota in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Saturday. The Blue Devils put the hurt on the Cougars with a sharp 17-7 win. The result was nothing new for the Blue Devils, who have now won seven matches by seven runs or more so far this season.

Aubrey Jones and Kennedy Wangler did most of the damage at the plate: Jones fired off two home runs, four runs, and two stolen bases while going 3-for-3, while Wangler fired off two home runs, four runs, and three RBI while going 4-for-4. Those two home runs gave Wangler a new career-high. Evelyn James also deserves some recognition as she got her first hit of the season.

Gaylord was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .548. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.

Gaylord's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-1. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 18.0 runs over those games. As for Dakota, their defeat ended a 15-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 15-4.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Gaylord will get to enjoy the win for a while: their next game is against Petoskey at 4:00 p.m. on the 20th. As for Dakota, they will square off against Utica Ford at 4:00 p.m. on Monday.