May 5, 2025
Softball Wins the Region XIII Championship
It was an exciting weekend for the Lady Bucs! Having finished second in conference with a 19-5 record and a 27-20 overall, the Bucs were the top D2 seed which allowed them to host the tournament.
On Thursday, Dawson faced off with the Williston State Tetons. Samantha Maerz and Allie Anderson both hit homeruns, Demi Choate doubled, and Stocktyn Stevenson hit a triple. Anderson was in the circle for the Bucs. She earned the win with 8 strikeouts and only allowed 4 hits. The Lady Bucs won 6-0, advancing them into the 2:00PM game on Friday.
This is where they met their conference rival, Miles Community College. MCC had won their game on Thursday against Lake Region, so the winner of this matchup was advancing to the championship game on Saturday. The loser would have to play Saturday at 10AM, with potentially two more games after that. It was Dawson that took the victory in a 5-3 win against the Pioneers. MCC scored early in the first inning, but Dawson matched them right away. The Bucs stayed consistent, scoring just about every inning. Anderson and Shelby Blankenship both had two hits this game. Aya Larson hit a double driving in 2 runs. Anderson received the win again, allowing only 4 hits and 7 strikeouts.
With the win on Friday, the Buccaneers were sent to the championship game at noon on Saturday where they would have to be beaten twice. They were set to play the winner of the 10AM game, which was MCC against Williston. Miles ended up winning, so the rivalry got to meet again. The Lady Bucs fell to the Pioneers in a 12-4 final. The Bucs only had 8 hits to the Pioneers' 15. Three of Dawson's pitchers threw, but that wasn't enough to hold down the offensive lineup that Miles had. This loss took both teams into another game. This would be the Lady Bucs' second game of the day and Miles' third.
Just like the first game, Miles came out and scored right away. It wasn't until the third inning that Dawson took the lead 2-1. Miles responded. They put a lot of pressure on the defense and scored 5 runs. Going into the top of the fourth inning, the Bucs were down 6-2. That's when DCC broke open the inning. They scored 6 runs, taking the lead 8-6. Blankenship was a huge reason for this lead. She had 4 hits with a double. Samantha Maerz hit a timely homerun, scoring Ashley Hammers and herself. Anderson went the distance again and held them down, leading her team to an 11-7 victory and a Region XIII Championship title!
"It was an amazing weekend," head softball coach Casey-May Huff stated, "every single game we played this weekend we had to fight . . .it wasn't easy! We faced a lot of pressure and adversity every single game, but the girls stayed calm, stuck with the plan, and showed grit to the very end."
The Lady Bucs are scheduled to leave for Boone, Iowa on Wednesday where they will go play the DMACC Bears (53-5). Games are scheduled for Friday, May 9th at 1:00PM and 3:00PM MST.
