The St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs wasted no time in establishing control.

And in the postseason, that’s exactly what you want to do.

The Lady Bulldogs sent 15 batters to the plate in the very first inning. They pounded out eight hits, including four for extra bases – and one that left the park altogether.

When the third out was finally recorded, they had scored 11 runs and were on their way to a 17-2, four-inning victory over Sullivan on Tuesday in a semifinal game of the St. Anthony Class 2A Regional.

The big blow of that first-inning explosion was a grand slam off the bat of Laney Coffin. Maddie Kibler, Hailey Niebrugge and Abbi Hatton each had RBI singles and Lily Gannaway added a run-scoring double.

Nine different players collected hits in St. Anthony’s 17-hit attack. Sidney Kibler had three, while Niebrugge, Hatton, Stacie Vonderheide, Coffin, Julia Schultz and Gannaway each had two. Coffin finished with five RBI.

Sidney Kibler pitched the first two innings and got the win. Addie Wernsing pitched the final two frames.

The Lady Bulldogs, who improved to 26-3 on the season, will play for the regional championship Friday. They will face either Pana or Teutopolis at 4 p.m. The game will be played at Bulldog Field.