AKRON − With the Division VI softball state semifinal game between Dalton and Danville in Akron at Firestone Stadium on Wednesday evening all tied up in the fourth inning, it really was playing out as anyone’s game at that point.
But the fourth inning would prove to be the turning point.
With Dalton in the field and their ace Mei Simmons in the pitching circle, the game got away from them after two infield defensive errors − one by Simmons and one by shortstop Hannah Wenger − led to the bases being loaded with one out for Danville. Danville catcher Morgan Hinkens had an RBI single, then shortstop Dalayna Parker followed behind her with a laser double hit to centerfield that scored two runs.
A short while later, Dalton second baseman Skylar Fletcher committed a defensive error that Danville would score off of that pushed the Blue Devils lead to four.
That four-run lead would be too much for Dalton too overcome, as Danville (24-5) took down Dalton (23-6) 11-4 to advance to Thursday’s Division VI state title game.
Those three infield errors from Dalton led directly to Danville scoring four runs in that crucial fourth inning where the separation was created. The Bulldogs finished the game with five errors altogether.
“That definitely was the turning point in the game,” Dalton head coach Rob Fiesler in the postgame press conference. “We’ve played error-free softball for the last 15-20 games. Today, just wasn’t our day. The game was really tight and we knew we had to play error-free. The ball just didn’t bounce our way. Errors happen. Sometimes it’s violent and vicious. Today, it was violent and vicious to us. They took advantage of some circumstances that we really couldn’t get out of.”
Dalton got on the board quickly with a 2-0 lead in the first inning behind RBIs from catcher Kenna Doty and Fletcher but Danville answered back quickly in the bottom of the first inning to score once. Danville first baseman Ruby Bartok blasted a solo homerun in the third inning to tie the game up at 2-2. From there the Blue Devils began to read Simmons’ pitches better and their power hitting came alive.
Dalton’s No. 1 starter took the loss and finished the game giving up five earned runs, 12 hits, walked six and struck out six batters on 125 pitches thrown.
“I think they were seeing my pitches well and it was hard to adjust to the umpires strike zone,” said Simmons. “They just hit the ball really well.”
A major bright spot in the game for Dalton was leadoff hitter Hannah Wenger, who’s two-run inside-the-park homerun at the top of the fourth inning to tie the game up at 4-4, was a highlight moment for the Bulldogs.
“I think it was two outs and I was like I got nothing to lose. I know me personally, I’ve been in a slump. You can’t get out of a slump if you don’t swing,” said Wenger, who went 3-for-4 with three hits at the plate. “I wanted to do something for my team and help us get the momentum back.”
Coming into Wednesday’s state semifinal, Dalton was about as hot as any team in Division VI, having won 21 of their last 22 games. Coming off back-to-back state Final Four appearances for a group that doesn’t have a single senior on their current roster (most of their key players are juniors), Fiesler believes Dalton softball is looking up, with a third state trip in a row totally in play in 2027.
“I hope they’re back next year,” Fiesler said. “When they’ve had the amount of success they’ve had so young as sophomores to get here and now as juniors to get here, sometimes they can get kind of complacent with their skill set but they didn’t do that. They continued to get one percent better this year. That’s going to be my message moving forward with them next season. I think they will be right back here again. There’s not a doubt in my mind.”
jamessimpson@gannett.com
Twitter/X: @JamesSimpson II
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Infield errors plague Dalton in Div. VI softball state semifinal loss to Danville
Reporting by James Simpson II, Wooster Daily Record / The Daily Record
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By James Simpson II, Wooster Daily Record | USA TODAY Network
