After a late night following their district opening victory over Dulles, the Bulldogs took a little while to wake up for their 10 a.m. game with the Friendswood Mustangs in the opening game of the Alvin Yellowjacket Tournament at Alvin College. After falling behind early, the Bulldogs rallied back to tie but could never take the lead, eventually losing to the Mustangs, 9-8.

Bulldog Pitcher Robert Psenka was put to the test early, walking the first two batters to the start the game. Batter #3 then hit one up the middle that Psenka nearly made a fantastic play on, but ended up deflecting it to load the bases. Psenka made quick work of the next Mustang, getting the first out of the inning on a strikeout. The Mustang’s next batter then had an 11-pitch battle with Psenka, finally drawing a walk after fouling off 5 pitches to drive in the first run. A sacrifice fly to center scored the Mustang’s second run.

The Bulldogs cut the lead in half in the bottom of the second. RF Blake Doerr got things started with a one-out single to center, and moved up on a passed ball. One out later, 1B Benn Fairbanks drove a ball up the middle to score Doerr.

The Mustangs put up a 4-spot in the top of the third. A one-out infield hit to shortstop and a walk put two runners on. After a quick second out, the Mustangs first baseman jumped on the first pitch he saw and drove it over the fence for a 3-run homer. An infield error followed by a double to the wall scored the fourth run of the inning for the Mustangs, and spelled the end for Psenka. Reliever Kevin Gelfand came on to get a strikeout looking to end the inning.

Being down 6-1 didn’t seem to faze the Bulldogs, though, as they put up a 4-spot of their half of the inning. With one out, 4 straight Bulldogs reached base on a walk to CF Daniel Rockett, an error on 2B Barrett Barnes, and back-to-back doubles by LF Adam Shank (driving in 2) and 3B Ryan Dalton (driving in 1). DH Aaron Marcynuk brought home the fourth run of the inning on a two-out single up the middle.

The Mustangs scratched out a run in the top of the fourth, but the Bulldogs tied it all up at 7 with 2 more runs in the bottom of the fourth, courtesy of Barrett Barnes. With Viktorin at third base and two outs, Barnes singled to drive him in, proceeded to steal both second and third, then scooted home on a wild pitch.

The Mustangs would strike for two more in the top of the sixth. After a leadoff homer for the first run of the inning, the next batter struck out on a questionable check-swing for strike three that bounced off C Drew Miller’s shin guard into the visiting dugout, putting the batter at first. A couple of infield errors moved him around the diamond for the Mustang’s final run.

The Bulldogs didn’t give up easily, though. Rockett singled with two outs and moved up on a passed ball. Barnes brought him home with a double, prompting the Mustangs to intentionally walk Shank before making a call to their closer in the bullpen. With the tying and winning runs on base, Dalton couldn’t get his bid for extra bases past the third baseman, which ended the game after six innings

Offensive highlights:

· 9 hits for the Bulldogs: A double and single for both 2B Barrett Barnes and 3B Ryan Dalton, a double by LF/1B Adam Shank, and singles for CF Daniel Rockett, RF Blake Doerr, DH Aaron Marcynuk, and 1B Benn Fairbanks.

· 7 RBIs on the game, two each for Barnes and Shank, and one apiece for Dalton, Marcynuk, and Fairbanks. The eighth run scored (Barnes) on a wild pitch.

Pitching highlights:

· Robert Psenka, 2-2/3 innings, 2 K’s, 4 BB’s, 5 hits, 6 runs, 5 earned runs.

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

Defensive highlights:

· After singles by the Mustangs in the second & fifth innings, both were caught stealing by C Drew Miller.

· Dalton to Barnes to Shank for a double play in the sixth inning.

Score by inning: