Staff photo / Dan Hiner. The Lakeview softball team and coaching staff poses with the regional championship trophy after beating Perry on Saturday at Dalton.

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 difference-making hit.

“I had been fighting for a long time,” Stowe said. “Felt good to finally get one again — that’s my 11th home run. When I hit it, I had a sense of relief because these girls mean so much to me. To give back to them and contribute means everything to me.”

The Pirates got on the board in the bottom of the fifth.

Madelyn Rupert reached on a fielder’s choice and scored on a two-out RBI single to left by Madeline Infalvi, cutting the Bulldog lead to 4-1.

Werner then gave the Bulldogs (22-4) a little insurance in the seventh.

The junior beat out an infield single to shortstop and eventually scored on a throwing error. Bartlett poked a ball along the third-base line, but the throw went up the first-base line and into foul territory in right field. It was enough for Werner to round third and extend Lakeview’s lead to 5-1.

That was all the breathing room Lakeview pitcher Isabella Isenberg needed. The Pirates went down in order to end the game, sending the Lakeview players and coaches rushing toward the circle to celebrate.

Isenberg pitched a complete game, striking out seven. She allowed one run on five hits and a walk.

“In the beginning I was a little bit worried. I wasn’t feeling like myself, but I just settled in,” Isenberg said. “I trust (Stowe) and my field so much. They instill so much confidence in me, so I just had that in the back of my mind and I knew I was going to be okay.”

Werner finished 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, and Stowe was 2-for-4, including a double, with three RBIs and a run scored as the duo led the Bulldog lineup.

Isenberg helped herself with a double and an RBI, Bartlett added a hit and a run scored, Rylee Barnot singled with a run scored and Ella Collins added a hit.

Lakeview will face Hillsboro in the state semifinal on Wednesday at Firestone Stadium in Akron. Hillsboro, which finished third in the final coaches poll, enters with a 23-3 record after beating Logan Elm 5-2 on Saturday.

But Wednesday won’t be the first time this postseason that Lakeview crossed paths with one of the top teams in the state. The Bulldogs beat Elyria Catholic, which was second in the state in Division IV, in the regional semifinal round.

Now they’ll look to knock off another high-ranking team with a shot at the state championship game on the line.

“Lots of support all the way down here in Dalton, about an hour-and-40-minute trip. It’s great to see all those fans out there for us,” Lakeview head coach David Kelm said. “Lakeview softball, kind of want to make it one of those teams in northeast Ohio.

“The Mahoning Valley is known for great softball, and we want to make sure we’re one of those teams holding it up for us.”