DALTON, Ga. - The Dalton High School baseball team's good year at the plate got even better Friday.
The Catamounts followed through on the skill and power their bats showed during the regular season by sweeping their best-of-three series with Dunwoody in the first round of the Class AAAAA state playoffs, winning the doubleheader 12-0 and 12-5.
Dalton (21-6), in the state playoffs for the first time since 2010, will host Evans or play at Richmond Hill when the second round starts Wednesday. Either way, first-year Catamounts coach Rhett Parrott is happy at how his squad advanced to the next phase.
"I'm really pleased how we played with a good aggressive mentality today," Parrott said. "It's nice to win the first two games and get an extra day off."
In the second game, Harrison Norman and Cole Shelton each smashed a two-run home and Vinny Vega went 3-for-4 with a double as every batter in Dalton's lineup had a hit. That backed Norman, who labored six innings on the mound for the win.
The opener was cut to five innings by the run rule when Maddux Houghton hit a three-run homer. In the decisive fifth, Wright singled to the left side and went to second on Vega's single. Both raced home when Houghton sent a pitch over the fence in left-center.
"We are ready to go right now," Houghton said. "It was definitely a team effort."
Shelton allowed two hits and a walk while striking out four to win the opener.
"Cole did a good job on the mound," Parrott said, "and we came out swinging the bat."
Dalton built its lead early in the first game with an eight-run second inning that included four errors by Dunwoody (13-15).
"Their pitcher was good. In that second inning, we just fell apart," Vikings coach Chan English said. "They did everything they need to do to dominate a game."
The Catamounts - who scored their first run of the game on Shelton's RBI double - committed just one error.
"I was attacking the hitters," Shelton said, "and I had confidence in my defense playing behind me."