By Russ Ragan
The 2017 version of the Dodge County High School Lady Indians kicked off their softball season with a busy game week. The Lady Indians began their week with a region game against Southwest, Macon. Dodge had no trouble with the Lady Patriots with a 22-0 win. The game wasn’t nearly as close as the final might indicate. On Thursday, Dodge traveled to Macon to play Northeast. This one was much worse, as the Lady Indians took it by a 33-0 score. Dodge had to make five of the nine outs on purpose to get the game over.
The competition got a whole lot tougher over the weekend, as they traveled to Cordele to play in the Watermelon Invitational. On Friday, Dodge defeated Tattnall County, 10-0. In their second game, they defeated ECI 11-6.
The Saturday games were both tough ones. In the opener, Dodge edged Bainbridge 4-3. In the second contest, the Lady Indians dropped a 3-2 decision to Appling County. Today, (Wednesday), Dodge will host a good West Laurens team with a 5:30 p.m. start time.
I will be short and sweet with my rundown of the Southwest game. Dodge scored 16 runs in the first and six more in the second. Junior Jade Dowdy and freshman Linzy Bowen combined to pitch a no-hitter in the game.
Here is a rundown of the Dodge offense: Julianna Bellflower, two walks, two runs scored and a stolen base; Jenna Hickman, one for one, two runs scored, a walk and two runs batted in (RBIs); Aniyah Black, two walks and two runs scored; Abby Manning, one for one, two walks, three runs scored and an RBI; Jade Dowdy, one for two; Sydney Powell, three runs scored; Jacey Dowdy, three walks, and an RBI; Europe Brown, three runs scored; Sara Lann, two for two, three runs scored and four RBIs; Amber Maxwell, one for one, three runs scored and three RBIs and Hailey Hickman, one for two, a run scored and three RBIs.
The story was similar, but much worse, on Thursday, as they beat Northeast, Macon 33-0. Lann pitched a no-hitter, with seven strikeouts.
Here is the Lady Indians offensive rundown: Bellflower, three walks and two runs scored; Bowen, one for one, two runs scored and an RBI; Jenna Hickman, one for three and two runs scored; Black, three walks, three stolen bases and three runs scored; Powell, one for one, two runs scored and an RBI; Brown, two walks and five runs scored; Manning, two for two, four runs scored and six RBIs; Gracie Lewis, one for four, two runs scored and an RBI; Jacey Dowdy, two for two; Logan White, two for two, a run scored and an RBI; Lann, three for four, four runs scored and six RBIs and Maxwell, two walks and four runs scored.
Dodge opened up Friday’s play with former AAA region foe, Tattnall County. Jade Dowdy had an easy top of the first and then the bats went to work. Jade Dowdy drove in Bellflower to give Dodge a 1-0 lead. Lann and Maxwell delivered two-out hits for a 3-0 lead. Hailey Hickman got a big double with the bases loaded that scored Dowdy, Lann and Maxwell for a 6-0 lead after the first.
Jade Dowdy had easy second and third innings, as the defense went to work. Bellflower made a really good play to keep the no-hitter intact and a 6-0 lead going to the bottom of the third. The Lady Indians took advantage of three errors in the inning to add on four more runs and a 10-0 lead. A fine play by Jenna Hickman in the fourth kept the no-hitter going. There was little drama from there, as Jade Dowdy wrapped things up with a strikeout in the fifth for a 10-0 win.
The no-hitter was the third straight to start the season. I feel sure that is some kind of record, I would think.
Next up for Dodge was ECI. They would, by far, be the best team the Lady Indians would face so far. Dodge would trail 1-0 going to the bottom of the first. Bellflower singled to begin the Dodge first inning. Jenna Hickman would lay down a good bunt, the throw to first was awful, Bellflower would score and Hickman would stop at third. Black would knock in Hickman for a 2-1 lead. Manning would single and score on a double by Jacey Dowdy for a 3-1 game. Lewis would single and bring home Jacey Dowdy for a 4-1 lead. Hailey Hickman would single home Brown for a 5-1 lead.
Remember, you can run for your pitcher and catcher, so Brown was running for Lewis. Lann got the start on the mound for Dodge. She took the 5-1 lead to the third. She allowed three unearned runs, as the lead shrank to 5-4.
The Lady Indians answered with a pair of runs in the home half of the third. Dodge got RBIs from Lann and Lewis for a 7-4 game. Lann pitched a strong fourth with a pair of strikeouts. The Lady Indians added to the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Jenna Hickman and Black singled to begin the inning. Manning drove in Hickman for an 8-4 lead. Lann would double home Black and Jacey Dowdy for a 10-4 lead. Two more unearned runs cut the Dodge lead to 10-6. Dodge would add a run in the fifth for an 11-6 lead. The Dodge defense made a big play in the sixth (and final) inning. Dodge executed a great relay from centerfielder Jenna Hickman to shortstop Black to Lewis at the plate to cut down a runner, and the final was 11-6 in favor of the Lady Indians.
Saturday was a day for the close game. Bainbridge was first up for the Lady Indians. Freshman Bowen got her first ever start for Dodge. Bowen got a pair of strikeouts in a scoreless first. Dodge started the scoring in the second. With one out, Jacey Dowdy hit a shot deep over the centerfield fence for a 1-0 lead. Lann and Dowdy scored on a wild pitch for a 3-0 lead.
The Dodge lead went to 4-0, as Jenna Hickman singled, and she would score on a wild pitch. Meanwhile on the mound, Bowen was rolling right along in her first start. She allowed just three hits through the first five innings. The Dodge defense turned a pretty double play, with Black and Bellflower in the middle. Bainbridge got on the board in the sixth, for a 4-1 game.
The game got rather tense in the seventh. A pair of unearned runs cut the lead to 4-3, with the tying run at second and no one out. A line drive to Black at shortstop got the second out. Bowen calmly blew away the cleanup batter on three pitches to wrap this one up in a 4-3 win.
The final game in the tournament was against a good Appling County team. Dodge got on the board in the first. Bellflower singled to lead off things. She advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches. A sacrifice fly by Manning gave Dodge a 1-0 lead.
Jade Dowdy got the start for the Lady Indians. She worked around a walk in a scoreless first. Maxwell doubled with one out in the second. A single by Bellflower got her to third and a sacrifice fly by Jenna Hickman gave Dodge a 2-0 lead. The Dodge bats went silent after that, as a double by Bellflower, her third of the game, was Dodge’s only other hit of the game.
Jade Dowdy was breezing along until the fifth. Dodge got a horrible break with two outs, as a hit by pitch was called, and honestly, it was a swing, but a single and a three-run homer followed, and Dodge trailed 3-2. The game was called after six innings, due to the one and one-half hour time limitation that had been set for tournament play.
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