The Dodge County High School Lady Indians opened their 2011 playoff season last Thursday as they hosted Swainsboro. Dodge used timely hitting and strong pitching as the Lady Indians won both games by 8-0 scores. Winning the series got Dodge into the AA state tournament.
The pitchers dominated the game in the early going. Katie Selph got the call for Dodge. She was in complete control in the early going as she had six strikeouts in the first three innings including all three batters in the second. The game was still scoreless going to the Dodge half of the third. Ashley Roland reached on an error and Lila Coleman walked to begin the inning. Coleman was playing for Clair Greer who was lost for the year with a shoulder injury she had received Wednesday during practice. Jaye Hilliard would single to lead the bases. Blakelyn Bundick hit a sacrifice fly to score Roland and Coleman would score on an error and Dodge would take a 2-0 lead. A pitch causing the bases to be reloaded with two outs would hit Selph. Nikki Graham would single home for Hilliard for a 3-0 Dodge lead. Hannah Moore would be hit by a pitch scoring Bundick for a 4-0 game Ashley Roland singled down the right field line to score Selph and Graham for a 6-0 Dodge lead. Lila Coleman would double to left-center scoring Moore for a seven run inning and a 7-0 Dodge lead after three innings.
Dodge took the 7-0 lead going to the bottom of the sixth needing just one run to end the game. Lila Coleman got her second hit of the game to begin the sixth. Annie Moore got down the sacrifice bunt to put the clenching run in scoring position. Jay Hilliard followed with her third hit of the game and a throwing error would end the game and an 8-0 Dodge win. Selph pitched the complete game shutout as she allowed only three hits and striking out eight and only walking two.
Dodge would jump out to an early lead in game two. Dodge would work around a double and a walk in the top of the first. A lead off walk would be erased as Nikki Graham would gun down a runner trying to steal second and Dodge would come to bat with the game still scoreless. Dodge would get started with two outs. Caitlin Greer would walk, Katie Selph would single and then Graham would single home Greer for a 1-0 Dodge lead after the first inning.
The Lady Indians would keep the offense going in the second. Jamie Yearty would walk to lead off the second. Blakelyn Bundick would score on a wild pitch and Bundick would score on a sacrifice fly by Jaye Hilliard and Dodge would lead 3-0 after two innings of play.
Selph continued to coast on the mound as she had three strikeouts through three innings. Dodge would continue to add on to the lead in the third. Dodge got singles from Caitlin Greer, Katie Selph and Nikki Graham to load the bases with nobody out. Ashley Roland would hit a sacrifice fly that scored Greer for a 4-0 lead. Yearty would also hit a sacrifice fly scoring Selph for a 5-0 lead after three innings.
The Dodge defense would make the runs hold up. Dodge would play errorless ball in the game (they did in the first one as well) and Graham would throw out her second runner of the game as Dodge kept their 5-0 lead going to the bottom of the fifth.
Ashley Roland singled to begin the Dodge fifth. Two outs later, Blakelyn Bundick reached on an error scoring Roland for a 6-0 lead. Jaye Hilliard singled and on an open error Bundick scored and Hilliard went to second and Dodge lead 7-0. Annie Moore reached on Swainsboro’s third error of the inning and Hilliard scored and that wrapped up the 8-0 win. Katie Selph wrapped up a great day on the mound as she pitched her second complete game shutout – this one a two hitter. She had four strikeouts in the game.
On Saturday, Dodge traveled to South East Bulloch to determine who would play Bleckley County for the region championship. It would not be Dodge’s day. The Lady Indians would run into a hot pitcher as they lost the double header 3-0 and 6-1. Jaye Hilliard and Caitlin Greer had two hits each and Blakelyn Bundick had Dodge’s only RBI on a single in the second game.
Monday, Dodge won a coin toss with Screven County to determine home field for the third place in the region. Games will be Wednesday, October 5 at 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
