The Dale Pirates are once again Class A District champions after pounding Calumet twice and Okarche once and earning a regional tournament berth this week.
Dale will take on Calera at Canute at 4 p.m. Thursday. Dale’s season record is now 21-9.
In the opening contest of district play, the Pirates shut out Calumet 10-0 in five innings. Senior starting right hander Connor Kuykendall collected the win for the Pirates.
He pitched only two innings, but Dale was ahead 9-0 at that point. The Pirates scored three runs in the first and added six more in the second.
They added their 10th run in the bottom of the third.
Coach Eddie Jeffcoat, saving Kuykendall in case he was needed later in the week, inserted Ethan Douglas to pitch the third and fourth innings and freshman Jack Rooker tossed the fifth and final frame.
Following that opening win, Jeffcoat said, “We did what we wanted to do, come out and win that first game. We got some good pitching, they threw strikes, they changed speed, got ahead of the batter.
“The team did what we’re supposed to do.”
Later that same day, they blasted Okarche 13-2 and the following day clinched the District title with a convincing 12-1 win over Calumet.