2 wins, 1 loss for baseball team

The Bulldog nine opened Valley League baseball play with two wins and a loss. The Dawgs split with Mt. Carmel in a home and home series, and Mike Studley had a no-hitter against San Marcos at Rocky Lawler Field.

The Dawgs are 10-6 on the season and are 2-1 in league.

The dilemma continues for Bulldog opponents. To pitch or not to pitch. Mt. Carmel decided to pitch to Alex Muren at Rocky Lawler Field.

They paid. The Sundevils walked Smiley Willeford three times. That worked.

To say the Bulldog hitters were cold in the Valley League opener against Mt. Carmel could be taken literally and figuratively. The temperature was in the 40s, the wind was blowing and it drizzled.

It was cold. Jordan Resolme was throwing an assortment of off-speed pitches and the Bulldog hitters were off balance at the plate.

Left-hander Cody Willingham was throwing well and limited Mt. Carmel to five hits. He fanned a season high 12 Sundevils and only allowed two basses on balls. The two runs he did give up were not earned, but those runs still count.

The Dawgs took the lead in the third inning. Brady Wilson drew a walk. Drake Blake sacrificed him to second. Muren recorded a base hit. Smiley walked to load the bases. A balk gave Ramona their first run and Mike Studley drove in the second run with a hit.

Mt. Carmel answered with unearned runs in the fourth and fifth innings. The score was tied at two at the end of regulation. Studley replaced Willingham on the hill and picked up the victory in relief.

Blake Drake led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a double. Mt. Carmel elected to pitch to Muren with a base open. Muren entered the inning with a double and a single. He ended the game with a two run line drive home run over the left field fence.

Muren responded to being pitched to with a 3-for-4 outing. Erik Ernst and Studley both went 2-for-4. Smiley was 1-for-1 with three intentional walks.

Ramona outpitched and outhit the Sundevils on the road, but The Mount outscored the Dawgs 4-2 courtesy of two unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Muren went the distance and gave up four hits and struck out nine. No Ramona hitters struck out in the game and the Dawgs posted seven hits.

Ernst, Muren, Nicholson, Studley and Smiley all had 1-for-3 outings. Wilson went 1-for-4. Nicholson had a double and Smiley had an RBI.

Studley was in complete control as he pitched a no-hitter and shut out San Marcos as the Dawgs won a 3-0 pitchers duel.

Studley went the distance and fanned seven. He struck out the side in the third inning. He did not allow a walk. Four Knights got on base by way of errors as the Bulldog defense continued to struggle.

San Marcos’ Sebastian Vader handcuffed the Bulldog offense. He held the Dawgs to three hits and one earned run.

Ramona scored two unearned runs in the second inning. Vader loaded the bases with three walks. Studley and Drake scored when the Knight’s first baseman could not handle an Ian Hunt ground ball.

Ramona scored a run in the fifth when Wilson led off with a double. Jackson Willeford beat out a bunt single advancing Wilson to third. Muren then delivered an RBI double.

“I had good control of all of my pitches and I was able to hit sports. Smiley called a great game,” stated Studley after the game.

He was not aware that it was a no-hitter. The second batter in the seventh inning hit a slow roller that was no tfielded cleanly. The official scorer ruled it an error. Studley did not give up a hard hit ball during the game.