March 01, 2008 (vs Dulles Vikings)
Vikings Sail by the Bulldogs, 13-4

Short on pitching after a long weekend, the Bulldogs lost to Dulles, 13-4, in the 5th-place playoff game in the Ewell Jackson Tournament. The Bulldogs went 3-2 on the weekend, taking 6th place out of 32 teams.

The Vikings did to the Bulldogs what the Bulldogs have been doing to their victims, scoring in the first inning. Austin P Kevin Gelfand had trouble finding the strike zone early, walking the bases loaded to open the game. After a strikeout, it looked like the Bulldogs were going to escape unscathed with a sharp grounder to third looking like a double play, but sure-handed 3B Ryan Dalton couldn’t work his usual magic, and two runs scored. Two more hits in the inning pushed across two more runs, and the Bulldogs were in a quick 4-run hole.

The Bulldogs looked ready for a big inning of their own in the bottom of the first, but two walks, a sacrifice fly, and a single only plated one run. The Vikings struck again in the second, with a lead-off homer. After a line drive out and a double, the call went to the bullpen, or rather the infield, as Scott Viktorin came on in relief. He got the last two outs to end the second, but then was roughed up in the third, yielding a walk and 5 hits (including 2 HRs, one a Grand Slam), before giving way to 1B Adam Shank. Shank finished the game for the Bulldogs, going the last 2 1/3 innings and giving up two runs.

The Bulldogs did their best to keep fighting, getting additional single runs in the second, fourth, and fifth, but it wasn’t going to be enough this afternoon. All in all, the boys had a good weekend, and are looking forward to starting district play Monday night by turning the tables against these same Dulles Vikings.

Offensive highlights:

· 9 hits for the Bulldogs: 2 singles each for SS/P Scott Viktorin and C Drew Miller, a triple by 2B Barrett Barnes, and singles by LF Blake Doerr, CF Tony Gigliotti, 3B Ryan Dalton, and 1B Benn Fairbanks.

· 4 RBIs on the game, one each for Dalton, Viktorin, Barnes, and Fairbanks.

Pitching highlights:

· Kevin Gelfand (0-1), 1 1/3 innings, 1 K, 3 BB’s, 4 hits, 5 runs, 4 earned runs, and takes the loss.

· Scott Viktorin, 1 1/3 innings, 0 K, 1 BB, 5 hits, 6 earned runs

· Adam Shank, 2 1/3 innings, 1 K, 0 BB, 4 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run

Score by inning: