Bulldogs softball advances to Regional finals

Hampton-Dumont/CAL defeated two opponents in Class 3A Regionals to advance to regional championship.

The Bulldogs defeated Garner-Hayfield-Ventura, 5-3, at home on July 6.

Then on Friday, the team hosted Clear Lake and blew them out 12-2.

Against GHV, the Dogs put in two runs to start the game and built upon that lead in the fifth inning.

Up 5-0, HDC was met with resistance from the Cardinals in the sixth inning.

But, the Bulldogs defense stopped the bleeding and held GHV to three runs.

“I would say that was a game where we just came in and took care of business,” Coach Kelsey Enslin said.

The team had seven hits.

Aubryee Showalter led the team with two hits, a double and a triple.

She’d bring in a run with one of those hits.

Pitcher Avery Hanson struck out 10 batters.

Against Clear Lake, the Lions came out swinging with batter Annika Nelson hitting a two-run homer to start the game.

From there, HDC took control of the game.

“The girls came in with an insane amount of energy and drive,” Enslin said.

The Bulldogs totaled for 12 hits, despite lead batter Hanson being walked four times.

“The rest of the team responded and we had hits up and down our line-up,” Enslin said.

The other eight batters had at least one hit.

Jaelyn Hickman and Addy Showalter both had homeruns.

Showalter batted in four runners with her two hits.

As pitcher, Hanson allowed only two hits and only walked two batters.

She struck out five batters.

The Bulldogs will have faced Mount Vernon on Monday.