FARMINGDALE — The Hall-Dale softball team picked an opportune time Tuesday to turn in its best performance of the season.

The Bulldogs played errorless defense in support of sophomore Kailey Roberts, who tossed a four-hitter. Just as important, they found a way to score off hard-throwing Traip Academy junior Reilly Eddy when it counted most.

Hall-Dale took advantage of a one-out throwing error in the sixth-inning and rallied for three runs to post a 3-0 victory in a Class C South preliminary round game.

Eighth-seeded Hall-Dale (8-8) advanced to the quarterfinals, where it will play top-seeded and defending Class C state champion Madison on Thursday. No. 9 Traip finished 6-11.

“All around that is the best game that we’ve played all year,” Hall-Dale coach Steve Acedo said.

The Bulldogs couldn’t do much against Eddy, who fanned 11 to run her season strikeout total to 201. That is until the sixth, when Eddy threw Jill Whynot’s bunt attempt into right field to advance Whynot to third. Amanda Benner followed with another bunt that fell for a fielder’s choice with Whynot holding at third. Eddy fanned Grace Begin for the second out, bringing No. 5 hitter Isabella Marino to the plate.

Marino, who had struck out and popped up to the mound, drilled a ball to left that got over Katelynn Sirois’ head for a double to make it 2-0.

“It was one of the better pitchers we’ve seen this year,” Marino said. “It varies to whether we come to play or not. We are pretty good and that was one of the times we came to play.”

Roberts followed with a base hit to right that was misplayed and allowed Marino to score.

“It always comes down to the errors,” Traip coach Chris Andrews said.

Roberts gave up a double to Eddy in the seventh but got the other three batters on ground balls to preserve the shutout. The Hall-Dale sophomore didn’t throw nearly as fast as Eddy, but was just as effective. She struck out five and walked one.

“Her location was a lot better,” Acedo said. “She hung a couple up they hit but she kept the ball down for the most part.”

The Bulldogs set the tone defensively on the first play of the game when Emily Allen ran down a shot in right-center to take extra bases away from Kiara Perez. Marino also made three nice plays on ground balls to third.

“She’s been like that all year,” Acedo said. “Hit it hard at her and she just eats it right up. We just made the plays. My pitcher made a couple of bunt coverages, made some good plays on throws at first that stopped the momentum.”

Eddy fanned everyone in the Hall-Dale lineup but Roberts, who also walked and grounded out. After she cruised through the lineup twice, Acedo went almost exclusively to bunt strategy.

“That’s what we were working on the last couple of days was pounding the bunt,” he said. “I knew a little bit about their pitcher. W faced them last year down there. I think she’s the hardest pitcher of anyone in our conference.”

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