Dyer County dominates Haywood, moves on to region championship game

 






Jason Peevyhouse

Editor, JP Productions Sports

Though it took a couple innings to get the Dyer County Softball bats going, once the Choctaws did get to putting the ball into play, the orange and white dominated offensively on the way to a 13-0 win over Haywood in the Region 7-3A Semifinals on Monday evening in Brownsville.


Dyer County got on the board early, getting a one-out double from Katie Beth Caldwell and Rylee Key followed with a single. Emma Wray brought home a run with a sacrifice fly to put the Choctaws up 1-0 after a half inning.

With Choctaw hurler Key and the Dyer County defense cruising through the first two innings of hitless ball, the orange and white got on the board again in the top of the third inning. Kierstyn Ray reached on a one-out error then Caldwell singled to give Dyer County two on with one out. Key then helped her own cause in the circle with a two-run double to push the Choctaw lead to 3-0 after the top of the third.

Dyer County allowed a rare baserunner in the bottom of the frame but Key struck out the next two batters then got a groundout to short to end the third with the three-run lead still in tact.


The Dyer County offense got going again in the top of the fourth, getting Allie Ables aboard with a single then Natalie Armstrong on via an error. A Kennedy Hill sacrifice bunt resulted in not only an error but two runs and no out to push the Choctaw lead to five. Ray added an RBI groundout later in the inning to put Dyer County on top 6-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth.

After three straight groundouts were made by the Tomcat offense, the Choctaw offense erupted for its big inning of the day. Key reached on an error which allowed her to get all the way to third. Wray lined out but brought home Key’s courtesy runner, Emma Moore, to put Dyer County on the board. Rogers and Ables followed with back-to-back singles then Armstrong singled in another run. Hill drew a walk before Gibbons singled in two more to put Dyer County on top by 10. With two on two batters later, Caldwell collected her third hit of the day with a homer to centerfield to push the orange and white lead to 13-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth.

After a strikeout to open the frame, Haywood’s Smoot broke up Key’s no-hit bid with a long flyball to center for a triple. She then tried to advance home on the same play but was thrown out at home by Hill.

On the play, Choctaw centerfielder Ray was injured and left the game causing a shift in the Dyer County defense which moved Caldwell to center, Key to first and brought Molly Kate Woody in to pitch and record the final out with a strikeout to put the Choctaws into the Region 7-3A Championship Game for the second straight season and the seventh time since 2017.

Caldwell led the way at the plate for the Choctaws, going 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and a single with three RBI. Key had a single and a double while Ables and Gibbons each had two singles in the win.

Key picked up the win in the circle, allowing only one hit against six strikeouts in 4.2 innings of work.

Dyer County moves on to face South Gibson in the Region 7-3A Championship Game set for Medina on Wednesday. Time will be announced.

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