The Harrisburg Lady Bulldogs pulled together as a team Tuesday to take a 7-5 victory over the Benton Rangerettes in the first round of the IHSA Class 2A West Frankfort Regionals.
After taking an early lead, the Lady Bulldogs maintained their defense to bring the Rangerettes' late rally up short by just two runs.
"We didn't get out of the gate very well and made a few mistakes," said Ryan Miller, Rangerettes' coach. "We never really put much offensive pressure on them. We got down from the start and then it was a constant battle. We finally got it going towards the end, but it was just a little too late."
The team in purple started things off quickly with two runs in the first inning. After getting on base with a double to right field, McKenzie Sullivan eventually made it around to third base and then stole home for the Bulldogs' first run of the game.
With one on base, pitcher Lydia Miller knocked an RBI double to right field for the second run of the inning.
In the second inning, the Bulldogs pulled even farther ahead with two more runs thanks to an RBI double by Sullivan and a stolen base by Mya King.
Still, the Bulldogs extended their lead to 5-0 in the third inning thanks to a lead off solo home run by Madeline Rider.
But they still did not stop going into the fourth inning and they added one more run from an RBI triple by Sullivan.
Finally, the Rangerettes were able to get on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning. After loading the bases, Baylie Sawyer stole home after a wild pitch was thrown by Miller. Eb Casey followed after her as Zoe Carlton hit a ground ball to short stop. Rider threw to get Carlton out at first, but Casey's run counted.
The Rangerettes' defense held off the Bulldogs in the fifth inning and then they tallied one more run. Senior Ally Gischer got on base and then stole all the way home after an error throw by Bulldogs' catcher Karsyn Davis.
But the Bulldogs' offense would not stay quiet for long. In the sixth inning, Sullivan again hit an RBI base hit into right field for her team's final run of the game.
The Rangerettes continued their rally in the bottom of the sixth, earning one run on an RBI base hit by Kiley Carter. Then in the seventh, they earned their final run after senior Cristen Shaw popped out, but Courtney Reno tagged up and stole home.
Unfortunately, the push was not enough and the Rangerettes' season ended while the Bulldogs move on to play in the championship game on Saturday.
"A lot of these girls are going to play all summer to tune up their craft and get better… they're hard workers and we're going to come back next season and be really competitive," Miller said.
