Bulldogs face tough teams in baseball tourney
The Ramona Bulldogs finished the North County Times Tournament with a three and two record in pool play. They will not advance to the semifinals.
The Dawgs were in a very tough bracket. They drew three teams in the top 10 in the county: La Costa Canyon (1), Poway (3), and Rancho Bernardo (9). They will enter the Lions Tournament with a 7-4 record overall.
Alex Muren did not have, as Tiger Woods would say, his A game against La Costa Canyon.
“Alex’s arm was not at its best, so he used his head to beat La Costa Canyon,” said Coach Dean Welch. “Alex always trys to find a way to win: his bat, his arm, his speed or his leadership.”
He found a way to win against La Costa Canyon as the Dawgs beat the Mavericks 11-5 in pool play in the tournament.
One would think that Muren had a bad game. Not quite. He went 1-for-3 at the plate with an RBI and pitched five innings and only gave up one hit and no runs. He struck out four and beat the number one team in the county. Not a bad day for a B game.
“My control was not there and I didn’t have the command of my fastball that I would like. So I tried to hit spots and let my defense make plays,” explained Muren.
They did. The Bulldog defense played errorless ball.
Mike Studley and Smiley Willeford contributed two hits to the win. Willeford had a double and two RBIs. Blake Drake stroked a triple. . Erik Ernst also went 1-for-3. Ian Hunt had an RBI double. James Nicholson made the most out of his 1-for-3 outing. The junior first baseman hit a grand slam home run to put the game out of reach.
“We needed some runs,” said Welch. “La Costa Canyon’s bats were starting to come alive. James hit a shot when we really needed the runs and gave us some breathing room.”
The Bulldogs lost to the Rancho Bernardo High Broncos 7-1. The game was closer than the score indicates.
RB started the game by getting two unearned runs in the top of the first. The Dawgs battled back in the bottom of the frame. Brady Wilson led off with a single. With one out, Muren reached on a fielder’s choice. Willeford drove Muren in with an RBI double.
RB added another unearned run in the top of the fourth inning. Cody Willingham got the start and pitched well but was the victim of errors. He went six innings and held the Broncos to five hits as he struck out eight. Erik Ernst finished the game on the mound for the Dawgs.
The Dawgs collected seven hits but could only mount one rally. Muren was 1-for-3 with a double. Smiley was 2-for-3. Ernst, Hunt and Studley also hit safely for the Bulldogs.