Dayton High School Softball’s Season to Remember
The Dayton High School Softball team had a season to remember. They ended the season 19-12, with a league record of 11-7 which landed them in fifth place heading into the Regional Tournament in Elko, NV. The season was full of memorable moments, ups and downs, and a very strong finish.
The tournament opened with a rematch from last year’s regional opener with Elko, the 4th place team. In this game, the Dust Devils beat the Indians 11 – 3. Caleigh Onstott was the winning pitcher of that game, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits. Leading hitters in the game were Amanda Woitas, Marissa Hein, and Tamia Powell – all collecting multiple hits.
The next game was an 8 – 0 defeat by the Fernley Vaqueros, sending the Dust Devils into the loser’s bracket. Highlight of the Fernley/Dayton game was a homerun stealing catch when Marissa Hein leaned over the centerfield fence to steal a homerun from the Vaqueros.
In the first game on Friday, the Dust Devils defeated the Spartans 10 – 0 in 6 innings with Onstott picking up the win. Onstott gave up 0 runs on 3 hits while striking out 8 Spartans. Offensively, the Dust Devils hit the ball well getting 14 hits on the day. Woitas, Hein, Elizabeth Vincent each racked up multiple hits. Woitas was 3-4 at the plate.
With the Elko Indians eliminating the Churchill County Greenwave, a rematch and elimination game was set up with the Indians. The winner of this matchup moved into the semi-final game, one game away from state on Saturday morning. The Indians jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom half of the first inning. In the top of the second inning, the Dust Devils tied the score at 2, but that was not for long, with the Indians putting two more on the board in the bottom of the second. The game was tied at 4 going into the top of the 6th when the Dust Devils scored their first run on an error. Then Tamia Powell came up to bat with the bases loaded and jacked one over the left field fence for a grand slam, giving the Dust Devils a lead they would not relinquish. The final score was 9-6, with the Dust Devils winning.
This win landed the Dust Devils in a semi-final match up against the Lowry Buckaroos. The Dust Devils could not overcome 7 errors and lost this game 15-8. Leading hitters in this game were Woitas and Powell, both girls had two hits with each of them hitting a homerun. This loss eliminated the Dust Devils but did not blemish a great season and a well-played tournament.
End of Season Honors went to Coach Dusti Houk – 3A Softball Coach of the Year. Caleigh Onstott – Honorable Mention Pitcher, 2nd Team All-League went to Marissa Hein and Elizabeth Vincent for the Outfield while Amanda Woitas earned infield recognition. 1st Team All-League went to Aleea Howe for her infield play all season and Julie Rogacs for Designated Hitter.