Postseason action produces home runs, no hitters and more

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was published in print prior to Lady Bulldog Softball’s 9-0 winners’ bracket loss to Gordonsville Monday and their 13-0 District 7-A Semifinal win Tuesday night over Clarkrange. See an upcoming web-exclusive story coming to www.dalehollowhorizon.com detailing the Lady Dawgs’ fourth-straight victory over the Lady Buffaloes, which earned them a shot at a conference title Wednesday night at Gordonsville and a Region 4-A Tournament berth next Monday night.

GORDONSVILLE-Bulldog Baseball’s postseason run ended in the District 7-A Semifinals here Sunday night, and the Lady Bulldog Softball team was eyeing a Region 4-A Tournament berth as of HORIZON press time Monday.

The #2 seed Dawgs opened the postseason with a 16-6 victory over #3 seed Pickett County last Thursday night, before dropping back-to-back games to #1 seed Gordonsville by a score of 11-0 and the Bobcats by a 7-5 tally to wrap up their season at 9-16.

The Lady Dawgs, who also entered their conference tournament as the #2 seed, shut out #3 seed Clarkrange 7-0 in their postseason opener in Celina and were scheduled to battle #1 seed Gordonsville in the winners’ bracket semifinal to start the week.

A win over the Tigerettes would have earned the Lady Dawgs a district championship game appearance Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., along with a region berth.

A loss to Gordonsville would have sent the Clay County girls to the losers’ bracket, where they would have hosted the Clarkrange/Red Boiling Springs winner for a 5:30 p.m. elimination game Tuesday in Celina.

A losers’ bracket semifinal victory over either the Lady Buffaloes or the other Lady Bulldog team would have also advanced Clay County to the conference title game and secured them a region tournament appearance.  A loss would have ended their season.

Only the conference champion and the runner-up advance to take on the top two finishers from the District 8-A Tournament in region action set to begin next Monday, May 12.

Follow the Dale Hollow Horizon Facebook page for Lady Bulldog postseason updates as the action plays out.

TRUE BULLDOGS-Senior three-sport stars Hayden (left) and Nate Adams (right) may have played their final games as Bulldogs on the baseball diamond, but their contributions in all Clay County High School sports will also leave an indelible mark on program history in both the basketball and football. (Michael Lindsay/uppercumberlandreporter.com photos)

Bulldogs battle

until very end

A valiant comeback by Bulldog Baseball fell short of extending their season in Clay County’s final matchup of the year with rival Pickett County.

The fourth time was a charm for the Bobcats, who the Dawgs had already beaten three times this year, including in the opening round of the district tournament.

Clay County trailed by as many as six runs early, before a fourth-inning Bulldog rally made things interesting.

Behind a combination of hits from juniors Aiden Keen and Witt Kaslikowski and multiple Pickett County errors, the Dawgs added three runs in the fourth to cut the Bobcat margin to 7-4, which was also the score heading into the bottom of the final inning.

Four seventh-inning hits from Keen, Kaslikowski, junior Waylon Cherry, and senior Nate Adams narrowed the Bobcat advantage to two runs, but that was as close as Clay County could get down the stretch.

Kaslikowski led the Dawgs at the plate with a three-for-four night, and he also pitched five solid innings on the mound, before giving way to his classmate Nolan Adams—who finished out the game with two no-hit innings.

Junior Brady Dailey and Keen also added two hits apiece in the contest, which served as the final game in the careers of Nate Adams and fellow senior Hayden Adams. 

Brown, Walden

homer in district

tourney openers

CELINA-Junior Lady Bulldog Baylor Walden and her Bulldog classmate Kolton Brown both hit home runs for their Clay County teams to help them win their respective District 7-A Tournament openers.

Walden went yard to center field to help lift the Lady Dawgs over Clarkrange by a score of 7-0 here last Wednesday night, before Brown pulled one over the left field fence to supplement a Bulldog offensive explosion—which resulted in a 16-6 domination of Pickett County the next night in Gordonsville.

Brown went three for four at the plate against the Bobcats, as did Nolan Adams and Keen.  The Bulldog batting trio also accounted for a total of 10 RBIs, while junior Reece Adams and Kaslikowski, along with sophomore Kale Trobaugh, all had two hits apiece.

Walden complimented her homer with a double, while her classmate Reagan Cherry matched Brown with a three-for-four outing.  Sophomores Jenna Thompson, Haylen Garrison, and Emma Wix, along with freshman Lila Birdwell, also had hits against the Lady Buffaloes.

Lady Bulldog freshman pitcher Riley Baxter threw her third-straight no hitter in the Clarkrange win, after closing out the regular season with a perfect game against Pickett County and her initial no hitter in a 17-0 win at Red Boiling Springs.

She struck out a whopping 17 Lady Buffaloes in the victory, where Walden got the Lady Dawgs on the board in her first at bat.

After Cherry had a lead-off single, Walden teed off on her two-run blast to give the Clay County girls a 2-0 lead.

The score remained the same until the bottom of the fourth inning, where Wix drove in a run to add one more to the tally.

Garrison then sparked a Lady Dawg four-run sixth inning with her hit, before Baxter retired the side via strikeout to close it out in the top of the seventh.

Unlike their female counterparts, the Bulldogs fell behind 6-0 to Pickett County early in their first tournament contest, before a Keen two-RBI double in the bottom of the second inning cut the Bobcat margin to four.

Brown then drove in his first run to start a Bulldog rally in the third inning, where they scored eight to take control of the game.

Reece Adams and Keen both followed Brown’s lead to plate a total of three runs, Trobaugh and Nolan Adams drove in two more, and Bobcat errors accounted for the other pair—the sum of which surged the Dawgs ahead 10-6.

Brown’s left-field bomb then made in a five-run game in the fourth inning, before the Clay County boys added five more down the stretch to win going away.

After Pickett County jumped ahead, Nolan Adams held the Bobcats scoreless for his final four innings on the mound and went the distance to earn the postseason win.

Regular season

finales and more

Prior to their third win over Pickett County, the Dawgs dropped a heartbreaker to Jackson County in their regular-season finale by a score of 7-6.

Clay County carried a 5-3 lead into the final inning, where the Blue Devils added four in the top of the seventh and the Dawgs went on to lose by one run.

Nolan Adams went three for five in the loss, while his brother Nate Adams, Keen, and Cherry also added hits.

The Bulldogs were also no hit by eventual District 7-A Champion Gordonsville—who beat Pickett County for the title, after taking care of Clay County the game prior with the shutout.

The Lady Bulldogs had better luck in their final game of the regular season, as they beat Cookeville 8-6 in dramatic fashion.

After pitching an impressive game, Walden stepped to the plate with two runners on and two outs in the bottom of the final inning with the game tied at six.

And she delivered.

Walden stroked a two-RBI double to walk off the win over the Lady Cavs and give the Lady Dawgs a season sweep of the Class 4A team.

She drove in Wix, who had doubled herself, and Cherry, who had reached base on a walk, to secure the victory.

Cookeville claimed an early 1-0 lead, before Thompson had a two-RBI double in the third inning to surge her team ahead 2-1.

That score remained until the sixth inning, when the Lady Cavs plated four to go ahead 5-2, but the Clay County girls provided the answer in the bottom of the same inning.

Baxter, Wix, and Walden all singled to load the bases, before senior Jaid Walker ripped a three-RBI triple to tie the game.

Thompson then drove home Walker to send the Lady Dawgs into the seventh inning up 6-5.

Cookeville went on to knot it back up and set up Walden’s game winner.

Cherry, Walden, Walker, Thompson, and Wix all had multiple hits, and Clay County totaled 16 hits in the victory.

Walden also added a pair of home runs in the RBS win and had a total of six on the season headed into Monday night’s game at Gordonsville.

Walker, Birdwell, Baxter, and freshman Analiece Dailey joined her with a pair of hits each versus the other Bulldog team.