The Dalton Bulldogs will challenge the West Holmes Knights at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Dalton is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.1 runs per game this season.
Dalton fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against Wadsworth on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Grizzlies by a score of 3-2.
Dalton saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Hannah Wenger, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one run. Kenna Doty was another, going 1-for-4 with one stolen base and two RBI.
West Holmes not only won on Tuesday, but they posted their biggest win since April 14th (when they won 12-2). Everything went their way against River View as they made off with a 9-3 victory.
GABBY FOWLER made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched seven innings while giving up three earned runs off eight hits. FOWLER was also solid in the batter's box, earning one RBI and two runs.
In other batting news, West Holmes let BRIAR CLINE and ZALINA PROPER run wild. CLINE went 2-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs, while PROPER went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That's the most RBI CLINE has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of EMMA MILLER, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI.
West Holmes kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are 4-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Dalton's defeat was their third straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 17-10. Those road losses can't be blamed on the team's pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for West Holmes, their win bumped their record up to 8-11.
West Holmes' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Dalton has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10 hits per game. It's a different story for West Holmes, though, as they've been averaging 10.4 hits. Given Dalton's sizable advantage in that area, the Knights will need to find a way to close that gap.
Dalton suffered a grim 10-2 defeat to West Holmes in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. Will the Bulldogs have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
