Slattery’s gem, Hayes’ double lift Daniel Boone over Dallastown

UNION — At this point, Bekah Slattery and her teammates just want one more day together.

If Slattery pitches the way she did in Tuesday’s District 3 Class AAAA opener, the Blazers shouldn’t start preparing their farewell speeches anytime soon.

The left-handed ace was sensational in the circle, striking out 13 while taking a perfect game into the fifth inning as Daniel Boone overcame Dallastown, 1-0, to advance to the second round of the district playoffs for the third straight year.

The Blazers will face Chambersburg (a 5-1 victor over Central York) Thursday at a time and place to be determined.

“Bekah is the keystone of our team,’ Daniel Boone head coach Traci Huddleson said. “Everyday she comes out and gives 100 percent and the energy she provides, the other teammates feed off of it and it’s contagious.’

Slattery was electric in the early going, racking up nine strikeouts as she mowed through Dallastown’s lineup in order until Mel Grant broke up her perfect game with a leadoff double in the sixth. Even then, Slattery buckled down, as she got out of the sixth unscathed before striking out the side in the seventh to end it.

“I was just trying to get in and get out,’ Slattery, a Lock Haven commit said. “There’s nothing more than that. I was just trying to do my job, get in, get out and go in and hit.’

Offensively, the ace finished 3-for-3 from the plate and scored the eventual game-winning run on a Sydney Hayes double to left field in the fifth inning. Hayes, a freshman, finished the game 2-for-3 with two doubles.

None bigger than her fifth-inning blast.

“Hayes is such a team player, such a competitor,’ Huddleson said. “All season she’s been like a sponge, taking it all in from the upperclassmen and feeding off their energy. She can get down and bunt, she can slap, she can put it over the fence. Syd Hayes is the full package, and as a ninth grader, we’re really excited for what’s in store for her.’

“It was so exciting (to get the eventual game-winning hit) because everyone put a lot of heart into this game,’ Hayes said. “To come up with that hit, it felt good to help our team get a win.’

Hayes’ RBI-knock was enough to spoil the pitching work of Dallastown’s Jaelynn Harbold as the Wildcats search for their second straight advancement in the district playoffs came up empty. Harbold went the distance, allowing nine hits and one earned while walking one and striking out four. The junior righty worked out of jams in the first four innings, forcing the Blazers to strand five runners before allowing the double to Hayes in the fifth.

“Our defense really came through and our pitcher (Harbold) did a fantastic job, she did a fantastic job,’ Dallastown head coach Jeff Deardorff said. “I’m really proud of the way she pitched. I just wish we could have got a hit or two.’

Unlike Slattery, who went the easy route through the first five innings, Harbold saved her best pitches with runners on base. She worked around a Slattery single in the first, a two-on, one-out jam in the second, and had a little bit of luck in getting out of the third.

After Slattery reached first on a single to leadoff the third, Hayes laced a double to deep center field, only to be caught in a rundown as she was caught in the middle of second and third. With Hayes in the middle of a pickle, Slattery tried to race home, only to be nabbed by the sharp throw from Dallastown shortstop Maggie Noll for the first out. Maggie Koch then lifted an offering to right field for a would-be sacrifice fly but the umpire ruled that Hayes left third early to end the inning.

However, Hayes more than made up for it two innings later.

With the first two Daniel Boone hitters down via strikeout, Slattery legged out a two-out infield single. Working a full count, Hayes provided the offensive boost as she laced a double over the left fielders head, allowing Slattery to score from first without a throw for the pivotal 1-0 lead.

Slattery allowed the aforementioned leadoff double in the sixth to Grant before Madison Johnson moved her over to third with a sacrifice bunt. The lefty then got the next Dallastown hitter down swinging before getting the leadoff hitter to pop-up to third baseman Cara Shackelford who caught it in foul territory to end the frame.

The Lock Haven commit then went to work in the seventh, registering two strikeouts before getting the last hitter to watch a 1-2 fastball paint the corner for the deciding out.

“This team will do whatever it takes to have one more day together,’ Huddleson said.

And if future efforts resemble Tuesday’s, the good-byes will have to wait.

NOTES — Savannah Toth and Alyssa Garner each finished with two hits in the win. … The game lasted 1:02.