The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON - Wi t h Tuesday's planned Asotin game canceled because of Monday night's rain storm that inundated the baseball field on Cottonwood Street, the Bulldogs are looking at Saturday's away game against TOR to shore up their 2-4 league record.

Dayton's league standing took a hit when De- Sales beat the Dogs in a doubleheader last Friday. The Irish won the first game, 9-2, and the second game, 12-0.

" They made some plays that kept us from scoring," Dayton head coach Sal Benavides said. "They're as good hitting team. I keep telling the boys they have to bring their A-game against these good teams."

Still, Benavides was proud of the Bulldogs' effort. They got nine hits in the first game with two each from Joey Yenney, Wyatt Frame and Lowden Smith and one each from Garett Turner, Colton Bickelhaupt and Hayden Fullerton.

"We left the bases loaded in the sixth and seventh innings, but we just couldn't get the timely hit," Benavides said about the first game.

Benavides said that many hits were impressive against a league opponent that doesn't allow many.

"I thought we hit the ball well," he said. "Those (DeSales) pitchers haven't given up that many hits so far this year." The second game "got away from us," when the Irish scored four and six runs in the fourth and fifth innings to "put it out of reach," Benavides said. The Dogs got closer to beating non- league rival Touchet in a contest Benavides described as a "one-run game all the way."The Bulldogs were down, 6-4, in the sixth when Bickelhaupt scored a two-run double and tied the score. The Indians came back to score one more run in the seventh to grab the game that was otherwise a good experience for the younger bench players who needed a chance to start.

"The whole outfield was new," said Benavides, who was particularly impressed by freshman Stevie Gonzalez. The young Dayton player scored two RBIs in the fourth inning. Guy Spellinger, meanwhile, "pitched a heck of a game" against Touchet, the head coach said.

Dayton plays St. John- Endicott at home on Tuesday and Asotin next Friday.