Union-Bulletin

RICHLAND - The Dayton Bulldogs baseball team got a nice pitching performance from Lowden Smith and rallied to score six runs, to win 6-1 in the opener of a double header.

Liberty Christian got revenge in game two, winning 15-5, on five Dayton errors.

"We weren't ready mentally to play in game two and I take full responsbility for it," Dayton coach Sal Benavides said. "Everything seemed to be working in game one well. We had three starters with other time commitments that couldn't make either game."

Dayton's Wyatt Frame hit a bases-loaded double to score two in the top of the third in game one. A suicide squeeze bunt by Hayden Fullerton scored a third run and they weren't done, scoring another single run in the innning.

Smith added a two-RBI single in the sixth to pad the lead.

Smith faced the minimum number of hitters after giving up a run in the first on two base-on balls and a single. He allowed one other baserunner on another hit in the fifth, but it was erased by a double-play ball.

He had great defense behind him, Dayton coach Sal Benavides noted.

"We had several diving plays by our shortstop, Colton Bickelhaupt, and our third baseman, Joey Yenney, that helped retired hard-hit baseballs," he said.

The Bulldogs (10-10 overall, 6-8 SE 2B) play at 4 p.m. at Liberty-Christian, in a loser-out, round one playoff game Tuesday.

First Game

Dayton 004 002 0 - 6 11 0

Liberty Christian 100 000 0 - 1 2 2

Smith and Fullerton; Lindquist, Peterson (3) and C. Steele.

HR - none.

Hits - Day: Bickelhaupt, Yenney, Frame, Fullerton, Smay, Smith 3, Turner 3. L-C: C. Steele. R. Steele.

Second Game

Dayton 012 02 - 5 6 5

Liberty Christian 513 42 - 15 12 1

Bickelhaupt, Fullerton (3) and Fullerton, Smith (3). C. Steele And Goodwin.

HR - none.

Hits - W_P: Smith, Turner, Fullerton, Lambert, Bickelhaupt 2. L-C: R. Steele, Lesser, Daniels 2, C. Steele 2, Lindquist 2, Peterson 2, Goodwin 2.