Hailey Dee of Fairbanks slides into third base with a triple as Triad’s Jalynn Smith can’t apply the tag. Dee also blasted a pair of home runs during the Lady Panthers’ victory.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
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Fairbanks High School senior Hailey Dee felt she hadn’t been swinging the bat very well during the past few softball games.
“I was pulling my head out a lot,” she said during the Lady Panthers’ 16-0 victory over neighboring Triad on Thursday.
Things were to the point where she really wasn’t satisfied with her .387 batting average… as if that number was something with which to be disappointed.
Dee’s batting average hit the “up” button on the elevator after she cracked a couple of home runs during the win over the Cardinals.
“I felt as though I’ve been struggling lately,” she said, adding with a smile, “I was able to make some adjustments today.”
Dee led off the game for her team with a triple against Triad starting pitcher Ava Phillips.
She came up for a second time in the home half of the initial inning and blasted a two-run homer.
She followed with a solo shot in the bottom of the third.
Fairbanks jumped out of the gate quickly by scoring nine runs in the home half of the first.
Phillips did not stick around long enough in the circle to record an out.
Cardinal coach Chelsea Matthews lifted her in favor of Kaydee Roberts, who finished the game.
Phillips gave up four hits and had five runs recorded on her portion of the ledger.
Things continued to slide for the Lady Cardinals.
FHS tallied one run in the bottom of the second, added two runs in the third and finished with four scores in the fourth.
Roberts yielded 12 hits during her four innings.
She struck out one batter and issued one walk.
Maddi Sines went the distance in the circle for Fairbanks and finished the “Strikeout Cancer” benefit contest with a no-hitter.
She fanned eight and issued a couple of walks.
The Cardinals got two runners on board via errors and the two free passes.
However, they could not come up with a timely hit to bring them home.
Jenna Dee finished the game with four hits.
Her Panther teammates Kyah Hendren, sister Hailey and Macy Kise each finished with three.
Anna Dulle drove in three runs.
“We continued to hit well,” said Lady Panther coach Amy Sines. “Maddi also pitched a very good game.”
Fairbanks improved its record to 9-0-1 overall and 6-0 in the Ohio Heritage Conference.
“We’re in a very tough league,” said Matthews, whose team slipped to 0-8. “Because of rainouts, we’ve only played conference games and haven’t had the chance to play any teams who are at our level.”
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