The Lady Hot Dogs softball team has concluded their regular season with no regular season wins, but the
team maintains determination to succeed during the first round of Sectionals.
The Lady Hot Dogs concluded their season Thursday evening with a faceoff against Danville at Danville. The Hot Dogs fell to Danville in a fashion that has become a staple of the Danville team, resulting in the Warriors taking it home with a score of 10 to 1.
The Warrior’s defense held strong against the Hot Dogs as Kaitlyn Spears spent all seven innings on the mound, only surrendering one earned run and four hits while racking up seven strikeouts. The Hot Dogs saw five different players step up and record at least one hit with Caroline Queen leading the offense with a 2-3 record, a double and an RBI.
The Hot Dogs saw the Warriors take an early lead after being held to 0 in the top of the first inning, surrending two runs to the Warriors in the bottom of the first, granting the Warriors enough runs to win the game. The Hot Dogs would not make it home until the fourth inning where they marked their first and only run of the game.
The Warriors would race around the bases in the early innings, securing six runs in the bottom of the second inning and two runs in the bottom of the first, leading the teams to a 10 to 1 score in favor of the Warriors as the teams headed into the bottom of the fourth.
The Hot Dogs defense would kick into gear following the early rally by the Warriors as Danvill would be held to their early 10 runs for the rest of the game, scoring 0 runs in the bottom of the fourth, fifth and sixth inning. The momentum of the defense failed to carry to the plate for the Hot Dogs as they would be held to their one total run, ending the top of the seventh inning and letting the Warriors walk off with a final 10 to 1 score in favor of Danville.
During the game, the Hot Dogs racked up four hits and only allowed two errors, but the Warriors bats were blazing in the early innings, sparking 12 hits while only allowing one error throughout the game on the defensive side. While the Hot Dogs ended the game with a nine-point difference, the game marked an improvement from the teams’ previous faceoff in April where the Warriors walked off with a 16 to 4 victory.
“On offense, their bats were going, but they struggled to make it home,” Richard Sallee, Hot Dog staff member, wrote. “On the Defensive side, there were some great plays by several players, holding the Warriors to 10 points. This was a great improvement from their first meeting early in the season.”
The Warriors were able to pad their record with 15 wins and 10 losses for the season, with four back-to-back victories. The Hot Dogs concluded their season with a score of 0 wins and 17 losses.
The Hot Dogs will travel to Twin Lakes to take on the West Lafayette Red Devils on Monday, May 20 at 5:30 p.m. for the first round of Sectionals.