Blue Jays advance to qualifier

Dickinson — Lexi Yates was thrust into an unexpected role on the Dickinson softball team shortly before the season began.

It’s the postseason now, and Yates has grown into one of the Midgets’ key players.

On Friday afternoon, the sophomore hit a two-run homer, had two triples and a single to finish with six RBIs and lead No. 3 seed Dickinson to a 16-1 victory over No. 6 seed Jamestown in the opening round of the West Region Tournament at Gress Complex. The game ended after five innings because of the 10-run rule.

“Lexi has really stepped up and she’s had a great game,” Dickinson head coach Bill Butterfield said. “She’s really seeing it well and driving it hard. That shot she hit was a bomb. It was into the wind gone.”

Yates didn’t expect to be a force for the Midgets this year.

However, she replaced all-state catcher Mackee Hoffmann, who tore the ACL in her knee late in the girls basketball season.

Yates said she’s feeling a lot better about her swing than she was early in the season.

“I think it’s just because in the beginning I was scared because it was my first varsity year,” Yates said. “I had to step into some pretty big shoes.”

Yates went 4-for-4 and scored three runs as the Midgets (20-9) piled on 14 hits. Rachel Jahner was 3-for-4 with four RBI and three runs scored.

Starting pitcher Haley Butterfield, who got the win. She and relievers Kelsey Lafond and Madison Jahner combined to limit the Blue Jays to just four hits.

Jamestown (4-21) scored its only run in the first inning after Kyra Dewald batted into a fielder’s choice double play but scored Kadie Anderson, who had led off the game with a triple.

That was as much as the Blue Jays could muster though. Four errors and several fielding miscues helped the Midgets tack on four runs in the first inning, five in the second, two in the third and five in the fourth.

“One inning, we gave them six outs,” Jamestown head coach Mike Soulis said. “You can live with giving up a run, but not five or six — especially to a team like Dickinson where you’ve got to try and stay toe-to-toe with them and limit them as much as possible.”

Butterfield struck out four, walked three but gave up just one hit in three innings. Lafond and Madison Jahner each struck out two as they pitched the fourth and fifth innings, respectively.

Kayla Thoele took the loss for the Blue Jays.

The Midgets face No. 2 seed Minot Ryan, a 27-1 winner over Turtle Mountain in its opener, at 10 a.m. today in the semifinals.

“It’s one step at a time and one game at a time,” Bill Butterfield said. “Tomorrow, we’re going to start over and play like it’s our first game again. We’re going to go get after it. Ryan will be tough, they’re very well respected.”

Jamestown 16, Turtle Mountain 6

Jamestown kept itself in the tournament, defeating the Bravettes in an elimination game.

Alicia Beckman went 2-for-2 and drove in two runs to lead the Blue Jays (5-21), who faces the loser of today’s morning semifinal game between Bismarck Century and Bismarck High at noon today in a state-qualifier game. Ashlie Meier, Kyra Dewald and Morgan Geigle each added two hits each. Meier and Dewald also scored two runs.

“We’re excited being a first-year program and we get to play in a state-qualifying game,” JHS coach Mike Soulis said. “We hoped we’d get the chance to play in a game like and hopefully we come out and play well.”

Syann Golus went 3-for-3 with a triple and three runs to lead Turtle Mountain, who ends its season with a 1-25 record. Winter Monette had a double and drove in two runs.

West Region Softball Tournament

At Dickinson

Jamestown 16, Turtle Mountain 6

TM 030 21 — 6 9 3

Jamestown 382 3x — 16 11 1

Maycie Morin and Kayana Trottier. Kadie Anderson and Kyra Dewald. W–Anderson. L–Morin. HR–None.

Highlights: TM, Winter Monette 2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI; Shelby Perkerewicz 1-for-3; Morin 1-for-2, run; Kassandra Poitra 2-for-3; Syann Golus 3-for-3, 3B, 2 runs; Madison Gourneau 0-for-1, RBI, run. J, Ashlie Meier 2-for-4, 4 runs; Dewald 2-for-3, 2 runs; Alicia Beckman 2-for-2, 2 RBI, run; Morgan Geigle 2-for-3, run.

Records: Jamestown 5-21, TM 1-25.

Dickinson 16, Jamestown 1

Jamestown 100 00 — 1 4 4

Dickinson 452 5x — 16 14 0

Kayla Thoele, Kadie Anderson (4) and Ashlie Meier. Haley Butterfield, Kelsey Lafond (4), Madison Jahner (5) and Lexi Yates. W–Butterfield. L–Thoele. HR–D, Yates (4).

Highlights: J, Anderson 1-for-2, 3B, run; Kyra Dewald 0-for-3, RBI; Alicia Beckman 1-for-2; Sam Johnson 1-for-2. D, Jessica Priebe 2-for-3, BB, 3 runs; Lafond 1-for-3, 2 runs, 1 IP, 2 K, 1 H; Rachel Jahner 3-for-4, 4 RBI, 3 runs; Yates 4-for-4, HR, 2 3B, 6 RBI, 2 runs; M. Jahner 1-for-1, 1 IP, 2 H, 2 K, 0 BB; Beth Honeyman 1-for-3, RBI; Briana Farnsworth 1-for-3, RBI, 3 runs, BB: Haley Butterfield 3 IP, 4 K, 3 BB, 1 H, 1 ER; Riley Cooper 1-for-1, RBI, run.

Records: Dickinson 20-9, Jamestown 4-21.

Monke is the sports editor at the Dickinson Press

Tags: sports, jays, softball