Walden continues postseason tear with 3-run homer to cap 13-0 semifinal win

GORDONSVILLE-The Clay County Lady Bulldogs eliminated Clarkrange last night in the District 7-A Softball Semifinal to earn a berth into next week’s Region 4-A Tournament and another shot at reigning State Champion Gordonsville here tonight at 5:30 p.m. in the conference championship game.

Junior Baylor Walden continued her postseason tear at the plate with a perfect three-for-three night, including a three-run home run and a total of four RBIs, while her classmate Reagan Cherry matched her with three hits of her own.

The homer was Walden’s seventh on the season, and she also leads her team in batting average (.456) and RBIs (30).

Cherry is Clay County’s hit (42), run (33), and stolen base (28) leader, plus she sports a .452 batting average.

All nine Lady Dawg starters are hitting better than .300 on average, and all but one Clay County player who had an at-bat against Clarkrange last night produced a hit en route to the team totaling a whopping 17 in the shortened, two-inning 13-0 shutout of the Lady Buffaloes in Celina.

Like Walden and Cherry, senior Jaid Walker, sophomores Avrie Davis and Emma Wix, and freshman Analiece Dailey had multiple hits in the victory, as they added a pair each.

Freshman pitcher Riley Baxter also threw her fourth-straight no hitter and totaled six strikeouts in three innings of work.

The Lady Dawgs scored a trio of runs in the first inning on a Walden RBI single, an RBI triple from sophomore Jenna Thompson, and an RBI single by Dailey.

Walker then got the scoring started in the second inning with a three-RBI triple, before Thompson scored her with a sacrifice fly to run the tally to 7-0.

Baxter drove in the next three runs with a double, before Walden hit a laser over the centerfield fence with two on to account for the final margin.

Baxter then retired the side in the top of the third inning, and Clarkrange waved the white flag to end the game.

The Lady Dawgs would need to beat Gordonsville tonight and again tomorrow to claim the district title.  If they pull off the upset, they would host Monday night’s region semifinal.

A loss to the Tigerettes would give Clay County a District 7-A Runner-up finish and send them on the road to the District 8-A Champion to play for a sectional berth and a shot at a region title.

The Lady Bulldogs have only advanced to a region championship game one other time in history, when the 1991 Celina High School girls won the region crown, before coming up just shy of the State Tournament with a home sectional loss to Harpeth High School over 30 years ago.

Follow the Dale Hollow Horizon Facebook page for more coverage of the Lady Dawgs’ postseason run.