The Virgin Valley High School softball team bounced back from a 9-0 semifinal loss to top seed Pahrump Valley on Friday, May 8, to win two straight over the Trojans the next day and capture the 3A Southern Regional Championship in Boulder City.

The Lady Dawgs climbed out of the losers’ bracket with a 10-0 win in five innings over the Moapa Valley Lady Pirates. VVHS freshman Kamzlee Dalton pitched a perfect game, allowing no hits, no walks and striking out 10. Six of the 13 hits by the Dawgs went for extra bases, and six different Dawgs came up with those extra-base hits. 

“It’s funny because the first two games of that tournament, our bats really struggled. When we got into that do-or-die game against Moapa, our bats finally came alive,” said VVHS head coach Lonnie Dalton.

“I am super proud of the players and the growth they have made this season. We’ve worked hard and put in a lot of extra hours. We won and lost as a team. We were truly united this season,” said MVHS head coach Stacie Stilson. “We will miss Kylie Neil, our only senior to graduate this year. She has been a great example and leader for the team.”

The Lady Dawgs forced a second championship game with a 12-6 victory that saw the VVHS offense erupt for 17 hits. Senior Julia Leavitt led the assault, going 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double, eight RBI and three runs scored. Classmate Davie Slack went 3-for-5 with a triple and two runs, and junior Mady Wright was 3-for-5 with three runs scored. 

Freshman Ryleigh Woods also went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI and a run scored. Kamzlee Dalton pitched effectively, allowing just three earned runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out 14 over seven innings.

The second championship game was tied at four through three innings until the Lady Bulldogs walked off with the win in the seventh thanks almost exclusively to speed. Wright beat out a groundball to the first baseman to get the rally started, and Slack did the same on a ball to the third baseman.

“They intentionally walked Julia for good reason. She had three home runs on the day,” Coach Dalton laughed. Then Wright beat the throw home on a ball in play by Raylynn Woods. “One good thing with us is I think we have the most athletic team in the state,” Dalton commented.

Kamzlee Dalton was again dominant in the circle, allowing just three hits and three walks over 3.2 innings pitched. Woods allowed just two earned runs over 3.1 innings pitched. 

Leavitt had a two-run homer, and Wright had two hits, two runs and an RBI. Slack also had two hits and an RBI in the victory. With the win, the Lady Dawgs will travel to Spanish Springs High School in Sparks to take on the North’s second seed, Lowry (28-5, 14-1) at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 14.

“They have a sophomore pitcher there, [Makinley Hislop], really I think the top-four pitchers in the state are in the state tournament, and she’s one of them, and she’s a pretty good hitter, too,” Coach Dalton informed. “I think it’s going to come down to no free passes from the pitchers and who puts the ball in play.”