The Bulldogs and Tigers met for the second time this year with first place in District 23-5A on the line, and this time it was the Tigers who came out on top, with a dramatic 6-3 victory. Travis is sitting in first place by themselves at 10-2, with the Bulldogs right behind in second place at 9-3 with 5 games to go (currently tied with Dulles).

The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard in the top of the first. SS Barrett Barnes jumped on the first pitch he saw from Tiger Starter Matt Hernandez, driving it just foul and just short of the wall in left for the first out. CF Daniel Rockett followed with a single up the middle and moved to third on P Dyan Dalton’s double to left field. After a walk to LF Blake Doerr, 3B Erik Schweiger put the Bulldogs on the board with a sacrifice fly to center.

The Bulldogs would add a run in the third. A one-out walk to Schweiger was followed by a mishandled bouncer to third by C Matt Hills; both runners would move up on 2B Luke Mulcahey’s sacrifice bunt. RF Tony Gigliotti brought in Schweiger to make it 2-0 with another bobbled grounder to Tiger 3B Rafael Santiago, but he would more than make up for those two miscues later in the game.

On the home side of the scorebook, Bulldog Starter Ryan Dalton cruised through the first 3 innings, inducing 4 pop-ups to go along with 4 strikeouts. Trouble started in the fourth, when Tiger SS Clay Tucker homered to right center to lead off the inning. Next up, Hernandez smashed a double down the right field line, and 1B Zane Brown followed with a homer in the same spot as Tucker to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead.

The Bulldogs would tie it up in the fifth. The dynamic duo was at it again, as Gigliotti hit a one-out double to right center, and 1B Drew Miller followed with a line drive single to center to plate Gigliotti and tie the game at 3. Barnes followed with a single up the middle, the third 2-strike hit in a row for the Bulldogs, which spelled the end of the night for Hernandez. That was also the end of the scoring for the Bulldogs, as Abel Flores came on in relief to get the last two outs in the sixth (though the Bulldog Faithful would like to see the reply on that close play at second).

The Tigers would regain the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth, courtesy of two walks and a 3-run homer by Tiger 3B Santiago. That last pitch hung the first loss of the year on Dalton; A.J. Glasshof came on in relief and recorded the last two outs via strikeout. The Bulldogs would put two runners on in the top of the seventh, but couldn’t break through.

Next up for the Bulldogs – back home Friday night for our lone game this year against the Bush Broncos; it’s also Teacher Appreciation Night. Then Saturday, it’s on the road against the Dulles Vikings.

Bulldog Offensive Highlights:

· 6 hits for the Bulldogs, 2 for extra bases: a double each for P Ryan Dalton and RF Tony Gigliotti; a single each for SS Barrett Barnes, CF Daniel Rockett, 3B Erik Schweiger, and 1B Drew Miller.

· 3 RBIs on the game: 1 each for Schweiger, Gigliotti, and Miller.

· Special K’s, kind of: Ryan Dalton’s strikeout in the second inning was only his second K in district, and his first in 24 plate appearances. 3 batters earlier, Drew Miller’s strikeout (fourth K in district) was his first K in 20 plate appearances. The longest active streak now belongs to Tony Gigliotti (15 plate appearances). Also of note, Gigliotti was the only player not to strikeout against Tiger P Matt Hernandez.

Bulldog Pitching Highlights:

· Ryan Dalton (6-1, 4-1), 5.1 innings, 6 K’s, 3 BBs, 6 hits, 6 runs

· A.J. Glasshof, 0.2 inning, 2 K’s

Bulldog Defensive Highlights:

· Foul pop-up to C Matt Hills for the second out in the first inning, on the always dangerous Tiger SS Clay Tucker.

· Dalton to Barnes for the 2-6 pick-off for the third out in the first.

· C Matt Hills on the unassisted tagout on strike three in the dirt for the first out in the fourth.

· RF Tony Gigliotti showing the wheels and the glove on the diving catch for the second out in the fifth.

· P Ryan Dalton snags a blistering comebacker by Tucker for the 1-3 putout, Dalton to Miller, to end the fifth.

Winning Pitcher: Abel Flores

Losing Pitcher: Ryan Dalton (6-1, 4-1)

Extra Base Hits, FBA: 2B – Dalton, Gigliotti

Extra Base Hits, TRA: HR – Tucker, Brown, Santiago; 2B – Camel, Hernandez, Flores

Score by inning:

Submitted by: Tom Miller