The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON - The Dayton baseball team is off with a bang after winning a doubleheader against TCP last Saturday in Pasco.

The Dogs won the first game, 5-2, and the second game, 15-5.

The game was supposed to be played in Dayton, but ended up in Pasco because Dayton's fields were wet from rainy weather that has canceled all other Dayton games so far this season.

Despite the travel and playing "at home" on a different field, the Dogs pulled together as a team and really let their skills shine, said head coach Sal Benavides.

" Our pitching in both games was really great," he added.

Bulldog Lowden Smith pitched the first game last Saturday and Hayden Fullerton pitched the second game. Lowden only walked three TCP batters.

Benavides said he was proud of his team that had very few errors and some great hitting during the double header.

He said Wyatt Frame shined on second base. Ga- rett Turner had two hits in each game and Colton Bickelhaupt had three hits in the second game.

Benavides said he was really impressed with TCP's defense, especially in the first game.

"They had decent pitching, too," he added.

But, he said his Bulldogs came out on top because they gelled well as a team and "stayed in the groove," matching whatever TCP handed them.

The first game was neckand neck score wise. Then, a big hit by the Bulldogs gave them some momentum. A Lowden strikeout in the final inning of the first game really ended it on a positive note.

In the second game, the Bulldogs started down, 5-0. But, they got two points on the scoreboard and that pushed their confidence to a new level. The Dogs brought in 10 runs in the fourth inning of the second game and play ended after five innings, the Dogs up by 10.

Benavides most enjoyed watching an efficient play by his infielders where they threw out a TCP player trying to get to third base. The communication and how in-sync they were made him proud.

"It's fun to watch that stuff as a coach," he added.

Bickelhaupt is still waiting for a shoulder injury to heal and Benavides hopes to see him on the pitching mound in a couple of weeks. He may bring up some eighth grade and freshman pitchers to try them out in the meantime, he added.

The team will continue to work on its defense, throwing and hitting as the season continues. Benavides hopes for some decent weather in the upcoming game in Dayton against Asotin this Saturday at 2 p.m.