Kennard-Dale wearing Division III crown
After a two-year hiatus, Kennard-Dale is back on top of YAIAA III in softball following the Rams' 9-3 victory over Littlestown on Wednesday afternoon.
The win clinches the division crown for the third time in the past five years with the Thunderbolts claiming the two in between.
"It's really exciting to win the division," K-D sophomore Crystal Mullins said. "We'd like to win the county tournament, districts and to qualify for states, too. Those have been our goals all season."
Mullins had a fantastic afternoon at the plate as she delivered four hits, including a double, scored a run and drove in another.
More: Showdown looms, but Spring Grove softball stays focused
"I was in a slump for the first half of the season," she said. "I feel like I've been getting out of it recently and hopefully I can continue to hit well."
Littlestown (10-6, 9-4) did itself no favors defensively as the Bolts committed eight errors in the game, including two during the Rams' four-run second inning and four more in K-D's three-run sixth.
"It wasn't the best defensive game by us, that's for sure. But we'll bounce back," Littlestown interim coach Jeff Laux said. "Kennard-Dale is an excellent team, the top team in the district in our class (4A)."
The hosts hung single runs in the fourth and fifth innings when Lindsay Snyder and Michaela Yealy each produced run-scoring doubles that cut the deficit to 4-2, but Yealy was gunned down at third trying for a triple.
Singles by Dani Payne and Amanda Dyson brought Chelsey Walls to the plate with two down in the fifth, but K-D hurler Alexis Hurley fanned Walls to end the threat.
Read: Central York softball maintains winning tradition
K-D (11-2, 11-1) tacked on five insurance runs over the final two frames to put the game out of reach.
Hurley went the distance to earn the victory as she scattered 12 hits and allowed three runs while striking out three and not walking anyone. She threw 58 strikes out of her 79 pitches.
Laux is filling in for Ken Shafer, who suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle crash last Friday. And it is unknown if Shafer will return to the bench this season.