Nothing - not the Leedey Bison bats nor a lengthy weather delay - could affect the right arm of Casen Buck on Thursday night.

The Dover senior pitched a three-hit shutout to propel the Longhorns to a Class B regional championship via their 8-0 win at No. 4 Leedey.

The win puts fifth-ranked Dover into next week’s state tournament. It’s the third consecutive season - last fall, last spring and now this fall the Longhorns had qualified for state after not making it for more than a decade.

Leedey knocked Dover out of the state tournament in the quarterfinals both times last year.

Buck cruised through three innings and was sporting a 2-0 lead when weather put a halt to the game just after 5 p.m.

It didn’t resume until about 8 p.m.

Buck picked up where he left off.

In fact, he was better. All three Leedey hits came before the delay.

He allowed only two baserunners - both walks over the final four frames.

Buck finished with six strikeouts and three walks in the game.

The Longhorns’ initial runs were a two-run single off Trypp Lack’s bat just before the weather arrived.

Dover had a chance to add to it in the top of the fourth, but consecutive strikeouts by A.J. Avila and Buck ended a bases-loaded, one-out threat.

Sloan Merrill didn’t miss on his opportunity as he drove in a run in the fifth, pushing the gap to three runs.

The Longhorns broke it open in the sixth - and all with two outs.

Brok Cooper and Lack had consecutive RBI singles.

Ivan Ruiz made it 7-0 with his two-run single and Merrill drove in another run with his base hit.

The senior catcher was 4 for 4 with a pair of RBIs.

Lack and Ruiz both had two hits. Lack drove in three runs and Ruiz two.

Dover is now 24-6 on the season.

This was the teams’ third matchup this fall.

Dover won 3-2 at Dover on Aug. 15 while Leedey gained a 1-0 win in a tournament in Woodward in September.

The Longhorns opened the regional Thursday with a 12-2 victory over Soper in five innings.

The Longhorns trailed 2-1 entering the bottom of the second before erupting for seven runs.

Daxx Compton got it started with a leadoff homer. He also had an RBI double in the same inning.

That run scored Ruiz, who preceded Compton with a three-run double.

Ruiz ended the game with a grand slam, giving him 8 RBIs to go with his 4 for 4 showing.

Lack worked through a choppy first inning to get the win with two innings of work.

He surrendered three hits and two unearned runs while striking out three.

Cooper threw two innings of one-hit relief while Sadler Greb closed it out.