Pirates sail to victory
Dale pounded out nine hits in a 10-0 six-inning rout of Colbert on Thursday to open its Class 2A title defense in the state quarterfinals at The Ball Fields at Firelake in Shawnee.
With each hit, the stuffed shark head comes to life as others use their fingers and then their entire arms to mimic a shark.
Welcome to the fun of Dale High School’s softball dugout, where a kid’s song, “Baby Shark” is the rallying cry for the Pirates’ offense.
“I think it’s just the excitement,” Dale senior Delanie Manning said as she held the stuffed mask.
A trip to Walmart this season led to the purchase of two shark heads that serve as a mask. They’re constantly in Dale’s dugout. On the bus, the players often play the song and act out the motions they learned as children.
They’ve even talked veteran coach Andy Powell into wearing a mask after the regional tournament championship.
Thursday afternoon, the masks and motions were again put to work.
Dale pounded out nine hits in a 10-0 six-inning rout of Colbert to open its Class 2A title defense in the state quarterfinals at The Ball Fields at Firelake.
“We know we’re one of the best in the state and we have to go prove that and show that,” Manning said. “If we overlooked Colbert, we would have lost. You’ve got to look at every game one at a time.”
For Manning, her career expands one more game, an 11 a.m. matchup with Pawnee and star pitcher Sara Llamas Howell, who struck out 16 behind a 63-65 mph fastball in a 3-0 victory over Howe.
She’ll present a big challenge for a Dale offense that has found its stride the past few weeks.
“I thought it was good,” Powell said about the offense Thursday. “We’ve been swinging the bat pretty well the last couple of weeks. It’s good to see this time of year.”
Dale is a team of veterans, having won three straight state tournaments, including the past two slowpitch titles.
But slowpitch swings are different. That led to some bad habits early in the season for the Pirates. So, Powell had a pitcher scoot up in practice to increase the velocity and help shorten swings.
Lately, the swings have been correct. Line drives and hard-hit ground balls follow.
“You hate to say they were sitting around waiting for the playoffs, but we weren’t swinging it well early in the season,” Powell said.
And now Dale is two wins away from yet another title, entering a day in which they need to keep the offense rolling against a tough pitcher.
If that continues, don’t be surprised to see Powell don the shark mask one more time.