The weekend did not get off to a good start for the Bulldogs, as the Eagles flew into town and came away with a 4-3 win, which tied both clubs at 4-3 in district play. Things got off to a shaky start right from the get-go, as the Eagles loaded the bases in the top of the first on a single, catcher’s interference, and a walk. Bulldog Starter Caleb McKinney bore down, though, and got two shallow fly balls to RF Tony Gigliotti, and notched the first of his five strikeouts to end the threat. The Bulldogs would not be as lucky in the second, as a single and three infield errors led to two unearned runs by the Eagles, putting them up 2-0.

The Bulldogs would cut the lead in half with a run in the third. LF Adam Shank reached on an error at first base and was balked to second. A groundball by DH Kyle Garoni moved him to third, and Shank then scored on a wild pitch during 2B Andrew Keplinger’s at-bat, who would then double to left center. The Eagles would respond with two more runs in the top of the fourth. After a lead-off double and a balk, McKinney got the next two Eagles on strikeouts. Then with two outs, the Eagles strung together three straight singles to bring in a pair of runs, making the score 4-1.

That’s how the score would stay until the bottom of the seventh. Reliever Robert Psenka came in and pitched three scoreless innings to keep it close, and the Bulldogs mounted their biggest rally of the night in the bottom of the seventh. Shank (having moved to 1B) hit a one-out double, and moved to third on 3B Ryan Dalton’s groundout. DH Blake Doerr brought home Shank with a two-out single up the middle, which was followed by an error on Keplinger’s grounder, which spelled the end for Willowridge Starter Clint Barnes. Facing Reliever Chris Wolfe, both C Drew Miller and LF Travis Goodrich worked full-count walks, with Goodrich’s walk forcing in Doerr to make the score 4-3. RF Tony Gigliotti followed with a smash towards the middle, unfortunately within the range of the Eagles’ shortstop who made the 6-3 putout to end the game.

Bulldog Offensive Highlights:

· 8 hits for the Bulldogs, 4 for extra bases: 2 doubles for LF/1B Adam Shank; a single and a double for 2B Andrew Keplinger; a double for LF Travis Goodrich; and a single each for SS Barrett Barnes, C Drew Miller, and DH Blake Doerr.

· 2 RBIs on the game: 1 each for Doerr and Goodrich.

Bulldog Pitching Highlights:

· Caleb McKinney (3-1, 2-1), 4 innings, 5 K’s, 1 BB, 6 hits, 4 runs, 2 earned runs.

· Robert Psenka, 3 innings, 4 K’s, 1 BB, 2 hits, 0 runs.

Bulldog Defensive Highlights:

· LF Travis Goodrich made a great catch on a sinking liner for the third out in the top of the seventh.

Winning Pitcher: Clint Barnes

Save: Chris Wolfe

Losing Pitcher: Caleb McKinney

Extra Base Hits, WIL: C. Barnes

Extra Base Hits, FBA: Shank (2), Keplinger, Goodrich