DALTON — There was the thud of the bat, the clap of a glove and the cheers broke out in the Lakeview dugout.
Mackenzie Stowe hit an unconventional three-run home run to power the Bulldogs to a 5-1 win over Perry in a Division IV softball regional final at Howard J. Wenger Field in Dalton.
The Bulldogs were ahead 1-0, but they broke the game open with two down in the top of the third inning.
Kalyssa Werner got on with two outs after banging a grounder off the shin of the third baseman, and Kennedy Bartlett followed by reaching on a fielding error.
Mackenzie Stowe extended the lead to 4-0 with a three-run home run that cut through a tough wind and went off the left fielder’s glove on the warning track. The ball’s momentum helped it carry over the fence for what turned out to be the diffe