By Chad W. Smith
and Terry Evans
The Dodge County High Lady Indians finished their regular season and began region tournament play last week. The Lady Indians finished regular season play with a 9-1 win over non-region foe Telfair County and a loss to Vidalia 3-7. The Lady Indians finished regular season play with an 11-9 over-all record and a 6-4 sub-region record.
Dodge entered the Region 3AA Tournament in Swainsboro on Saturday, October 3 as the third place team from their side of the region. The Lady Indians won their first two games of the tournament as they defeated Southeast Bulloch 9-4 and Vidalia 4-1. The two wins advanced Dodge to a third round game and also earned them spot in the State AA Tournament.
They were scheduled to play top seeded Screven County on Tuesday, October 6 at 6:00 p.m. With a win, Dodge would play again on Wednesday, October 7 at 6:00 p.m. for the region championship or a loss on Tuesday would put them playing at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday for third place. If the Lady Indians can finish #1 or #2 in the region they will get to host the best two of three series in the first round of the state, a third or fourth place finish would put them on the road in the first round. The first two games of round one of state is scheduled for Tuesday, October 13 with game three on Wednesday, October 14 if necessary. The second round of state would begin on Friday, October 16 with game three on Saturday, October 17, if necessary.
The Lady Indians took on Southeast Bulloch in the first game of the region tournament on Saturday. The game was scoreless for the first three innings before Dodge’s Ashton Holt scored on a single by Callie Eckles. Eckles then scored on an RBI single by Danielle Rogers.
Tiffany Knowles’ sacrifice fly then scored Bridgette Coleman and Dodge led 3-0. The Yellow Jackets then scored three runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game 3-3. The Lady Indians came back in the top of the fifth behind a three run homerun by Holt and an RBI double by Eckles to take the lead back at 7-3. Southeast Bulloch scored one run in the bottom of the inning to make the score 7-4. Adele Harrison and Jaye Hilliard led off the sixth inning with singles and advanced on a wild pitch. Harrison scored on a sacrifice fly by Holt and Brittany Sorrell’s RBI single scored Hilliard to put the game away. Winning pitcher was Crystal Ward. Offensive leaders were: Ashton Holt was 2-for-3 with a homerun, four RBI and two runs scored; Adele Harrison was 2-for-4 with two runs scored; Jaye Hilliard was 2-for-4 with two runs scored; Brittany Sorrell was 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored; Callie Eckles was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored; Bridgette Coleman was 2-for-4 with a run scored; Danielle Rogers was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Crystal Ward was 1-for-4.
In the next game of the region tournament Dodge faced the number one seed from their side of the region, Vidalia. The Lady Indians had lost to Vidalia three times already this season. This game was scoreless until in the top of the fourth when Bridgette Coleman lead off with a walk. Danielle Rogers doubled to left and a Tiffany Knowles sacrifice fly scored Coleman.
Adele Harrison doubled to score Rogers and Dodge was up 2-0. A Vidalia throwing error in the fifth inning lead to another Dodge run to put the Lady Indians up 3-0. Vidalia got on board with a run in the bottom of the fifth to make it 3-1. In the sixth inning, a sacrifice fly by Brittany Sorrell scored Harrison for Dodge’s fourth run of the game. Vidalia loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, but an outstanding double play on a bunt turned by Jamie Michael Jones and Jaye Hilliard finished Vidalia’s comeback bid. The final score was Dodge 4 and Vidalia 1. The winning pitcher was Ashton Holt. Offensive leaders were: Adele Harrison was 3-for-4 with a double, one RBI and one run scored; Bridgette Coleman was 2-for-3 and one run scored; Brittany Sorrell was 2-for-3 with an RBI; Ashton Holt was 1-for-2 with a run scored; Jaye Hilliard was 1-for-4; Danielle Rogers was 1-for-4 and a run scored; Caitlin Greer was 1-for-4.
On Monday, September 28 the Lady Indians hosted Telfair County for Senior night and defeated them 9-1 in six innings avenging an early season loss. The winning pitcher was Crystal Ward.
Offensive leaders for Dodge were: Ashton Holt was 3-for-3 with two doubles, three RBI, and one run scored; Jaye Hilliard was 2-for-4 with two runs scored; Adele Harrison was 1-for-2 with three runs scored; Callie Eckles was 1-for-2 with one run scored; Bridgette Coleman was 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Dodge lost to Vidalia on Tuesday, September 29 by a score of 3-7. Offensive leaders were: Adele Harrison was 1-for-2 with two RBI; Ashton Holt was 1-for-2 with one homerun; Danielle Rogers was 1-for-2 with a run scored; Brittany Sorrell was 1-for-2.
