The Dalton Bulldogs will square off against the Waynedale Golden Bears at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Dalton took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand West Holmes an 11-0 shutout. Considering the Bulldogs' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Peyton Neiger looked comfortable as she tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one walk in seven consecutive appearances.
Hannah Wenger
| 05/16/25 vs West Holmes | 3 |
| 04/04/25 @ Canton South | 2 |
| 05/08/24 @ Waynedale | 2 |
| 05/07/25 vs Chippewa | 1 |
| 04/24/25 @ Northwest | 1 |
At the plate, Hannah Wenger and Arabella Wenger did most of the damage at the plate: Hannah went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base, while Arabella went 2-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and one double. Those three RBI gave Hannah a new career-high. Skylar Fletcher was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs and one double.
Dalton was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .481. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as West Holmes only posted a batting average of .000.
Meanwhile, Waynedale got the win against Rittman on Friday by a conclusive 14-6. The result was nothing new for the Golden Bears, who have now won eight matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.
Waynedale got a massive performance out of Madi Miller, who got on base in four of her five plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Carleigh Lynch, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Waynedale has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine games. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-12 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.4 runs over those games. As for Dalton, their win bumped their record up to 18-10.
Waynedale's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Dalton has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.1 hits per game. It's a different story for Waynedale, though, as they've been averaging 10.5 hits. Given Dalton's sizable advantage in that area, the Golden Bears will need to find a way to close that gap.
Dalton came up short against Waynedale in their previous meeting back in April, falling 11-7. Will the Bulldogs have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
