Advertisement

Bulldog baseball team enters league play 8-5

Share

Ramona’s opponents have a dilemma when trying to find a way to pitch to the middle of the Bulldog lineup. They can pitch to the No. 3 hitter, Alex Muren, as Foothill did, and pay for it.

Muren hit a home run that old-timers at Carlsbad say went as far as any of the home runs that current major leaguer, Troy Glaus, hit when he was playing at Carlsbad. The other choice is to walk Muren and pitch to Smiley Willeford.

There is a reason that that boy smiles. Every time an opponent has walked Muren to get to Smiley, he has delivered as he did against Carlsbad with a home run. Ramona had a 2-1 record in the Lions Tournament and will enter Valley League play with an 8-5 record.

The Ramona Bulldogs opened the Lions Club Tournament in the 5A Division with a 9-3 come-from-behind win over Foothill High School.

Foothill grabbed a two-run lead in the bottom of the first inning. The Dawgs answered with a three-run third inning and a six-run fourth to ensure the win.

Cody Willingham got the start and worked six innings to get his third victory of the year. The junior right-hander struck out three and scattered five hits and allowed only two earned runs. James Nicholson worked the final in relief and did not allow a run.

Alex Muren hit his fifth home run of the season and went 2-for-4 with 3RBI. Mike Studley and Blake Drake both turned in 2-for-three performances.

Drake drove in a run. Willeford had a 2-for-4 outing with a double and three RBI. Nicholson went 2-for-3 with a double. Brady Wilson and Kyle Gray also stroked hits. Gray had an RBI.

Muren picked up his fourth win of the season by beating Carlsbad High school on the losers diamond. Muren did not get much help from his defense as the Bulldogs committed four errors.

Muren gave up one earned run and struck out five while giving up eight hits. Studley finished the game on the mound and gave up one run on one hit.

Willeford led a 10-hit Bulldog attack. Smiley went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a booming home run. Studley and Nicholson both collected two hits. Studley had three RBIs and Nicholson had one RBI. Muren, Ian Hunt, and Gray also had hits. Studley and Gray both drove in three runs.

Ramona jumped out to a 4-0 lead against Bonita Vista High School but could not hold on to the lead as the Barons came back to beat the Dawgs 8-6 in a slug fest. The loss eliminated Ramona from the tournament as Foothill High advanced by way of a tie breaker. Both teams had a 2-1 record in pool play.

Nicholson went the first four innings on the hill and gave up four runs on eight hits. Only one of the runs was earned as the Dawgs continued to have a hard time on defense committing five errors. He struck out two. Studley took the loss giving up four runs on six hits in two innings. He fanned one.

Brady Wilson had a big day at the plate. Wilson went 3-for-4 with a double. Smiley had a 2-for-4 outing with three RBIs. Studley, Drake, Muren and Erik Ernst also contributed hits to the Bulldog offense.

Advertisement

At a time when local news is more important than ever, support from our readers is essential. If you are able to, please support the Ramona Sentinel today.