Dayton homered its way over Sparks Wednesday to win the first of a 3A North League three-game series, 17-6, in six innings of prep softball action Wednesday afternoon.



“We did better than we did last Saturday,” Sparks assistant coach Steve Johnson said, alluding to a pair of lopsided losses to Lowry. “The kids came back, fought hard. We’re just trying to get better.”

Dayton’s MacKenzie Cole propelled her squad over the Railroaders with three home runs, collecting eight RBIs.

Cole had her first home run of the game in the second inning for three RBIs. The Dust Devils freshman had another three-run shot in the fourth inning.

“She got the ball in the wind,” Johnson said. “The wind carried it out, but she hit the ball hard.”

In the second inning, Amanda Vesley singled and Amanda Mahon reached on an error for Sparks. Both rounded the bags to earn runs for the Railroaders. Kristina Avilla and Katie Hippert both singled and scored on a Jessica Perry single. Sparks still trailed 7-4 after the inning.

Sparks faced early elimination, trailing 15-4 in the bottom of the fifth. However, the Railroaders sparked a two-out rally and scored two on a double by Roberta Porter to ensure an extended game behind by nine.

Cole then hit another dinger over the center-field fence to score two more for the Dust Devils.

“We hit the ball and made more contact today,” Johnson said. “If you’d seen our last game, we didn’t make much contact. The kids fought back and we’re proud of them.”

Sabrina Martinez pitched all six innings for Sparks.

“Our pitching was good,” Johnson said. “There were a couple fly balls that weren’t caught and then the home runs. That kills you.”

Sparks and Dayton match up for a doubleheader in Lyon County Saturday. First pitch is slated for 11 a.m.

“We need to make our simple plays, easy plays,” Johnson said. “That’s what’s killing us. We’re giving them extra outs every inning. It’s hard to come back from that.”