Amanda Dalton was moved up in the batting order in the second game Saturday and provided spark to give Ohio 2-1 win over Western Michigan.
As Amanda Dalton walks toward the plate, Don Omar's "Danza Kuduro" plays from the speakers. The song brings excitement and an uptempo beat.
How fitting it is for a player who plays with speed and quickness on the offensive end.
In the first game Saturday against Western Michigan, Dalton was ninth in the batting order. Ohio lost that game 3-0. In the second game coach Jodi Hermanek moved her to first in the order. Ohio won 2-1.
Why the drastic shift?
“Mandy’s been hot,” Hermanek said. “She’s getting on base and she’s the only one that has been getting on the last few days with lefty pitchers and finding the third base line.”
Coach Hermanek said Dalton, a senior shortstop, always has been high in the order for Ohio. But Hermanek wanted to change things up.
She wanted to take pressure off the batters who have a higher hitting percentage.
So she moved Dalton, who has a better on-base percentage, up in the order.
And in the second game that was very effective.
In her first at bat in the second game, Dalton got a base hit off an error from the Western Michigan shortstop. She then stole second. A base hit from second baseman Taylor Saxton put Dalton at third. She went on to score on the next hit. She stole three more bases and finished 3-3 at the plate in the second game of the doubleheader.
In the fifth inning, Dalton got injured.
She stole second and collided with the Western Michigan shortstop. Dalton played the rest of the inning, but later was replaced by freshman shortstop Alex Day.
Hermanek said Dalton should be ready to play against Kentucky on Tuesday. The coach doesn’t know the extent of the injury and said Dalton doesn’t quite remember what happened.
But overall, Dalton had the best offensive performance for Ohio on Saturday. She used her quickness to not only get on base but also to steal bases almost every other pitch.
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="4a433ad0-f06c-11e5-ae83-13b5f1af28c8"}}
Dalton and Ohio improve to 2-1 in conference play and 19-9 overall.
Ohio plays nationally ranked Kentucky on Tuesday at the Ohio Softball Field.
@wynstonw_
ww773412@ohio.edu
