The Bulldogs ended their evening with a convincing 11-2 victory over the St. Thomas Eagles, making their record 3-0 in the Ewell Jackson Tournament, and earning themselves a spot in the semi-finals against district rival Dulles.

The Eagles, coached by future Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, jumped on Bulldog Starter A.J. Glasshof early. A one-out single was followed by a 2-run shot by Jonathon Mejia, giving the Eagles an early lead in the first inning. Glasshof grounded the Eagles after that, facing the minimum the rest of the way. The only other base runner allowed after the HR was a lead-off hit batter in the third, and he was thrown out trying to steal.

The Bulldogs cut that deficit in half in the home half of the first. 2B Barrett Barnes led off with a walk, but a couple of fielder’s choice grounders left SS Ryan Dalton stuck at first with two outs. LF Blake Doerr, though, came through with a double off the wall in left center to score Dalton.

The Bulldogs put the game away in the bottom of the third. DH Drew Miller got things going with a lead-off double just fair down the left field line. Barnes and CF Daniel Rockett followed with back-to-back singles to give Austin the lead 3-2. Two outs later, 1B Erik Schweiger launched a shot off the light pole in left for a 2-run HR, and RF Tony Gigliotti made it back-to-back HRs with a full count blast to left. The Bulldogs would continue the two-out rally with a walk to C Matt Hills, a misplay on 3B Luke Mulcahey’s shallow pop to right, Miller’s second hit of the inning, and Barnes’ double off the left field wall. That 8-run inning made the score 9-2.

The Bulldogs weren’t quite finished, though. SS Ryan Dalton notched his first homer of the season with a drive over the scoreboard in left. Doerr then singled, took second on Schweiger’s groundout, and scored on Gigliotti’s single to left center. That would make the final score 11-2.

Bulldog Offensive Highlights:

· 11 hits for the Bulldogs, including 6 for extra bases: HR and single for RF Tony Gigliotti; a double and a single for SS Barrett Barnes, LF Blake Doerr, and DH Drew Miller; HR for SS Ryan Dalton and 1B Erik Schweiger; and a single for CF Daniel Rockett.

· 11 RBIs on the game: 2 each for Barnes, Rockett, Schweiger, and Gigliotti; 1 each for Dalton, Doerr, and Mulcahey.

Bulldog Pitching Highlights:

· A.J. Glasshof (1-1), 5 innings, 6 K’s, 1 HPB, 2 hits, 2 earned runs.

Bulldog Defensive Highlights:

· 2-6 caught stealing for the first out in the third, C Hills to SS Dalton.

· Great running catch by CF Daniel Rockett to end the fourth.

· An error-free ball game for the Bulldogs.

Winning Pitcher: A.J. Glasshof (1-1)

Losing Pitcher: Brendan Fleming

Extra Base Hits, STH: HR – Mejia

Extra Base Hits, FBA: HR – Dalton, Schweiger, Gigliotti; 2B – Barnes, Doerr, Miller

Submitted by: Tom Miller