A Week In Review

This past week was our first 4-0 week since April 19-April 23 of the 2021 season, when we earned two wins over conference foe, Unaka Rangers (Monday, April 19 and Tuesday, April 20), and wins at the Happy Valley Warriors (Thursday, April 22), and Washburn Pirates (Friday, April 23).

Bulldog Varsity Baseball was tested this week, as we overcame 7 errors against the Holston Cavaliers at Backer Park in Damascus, Virgina on Monday night.  The Cavaliers had the tying runs on base in the 7th innning.  A ten hit offensive attack aided Caleb Royston and Josh Whitson on the mound.  Collin Morgan throwing a runner out at the dish to end the 1st inning, after catching the second out of the inning in right field, and McKinley Kuhn making a spectacular play on a low line drive in the 7th inning, were two defensive bright spots for the visiting Bulldogs. 

On Tuesday night, back at the friendly confines of Scotty Bunton Field, the home team faced a 3-1 deficit in the 3rd inning before exploding on offense in a 17 hit, 17 run performance.  Jonathan Greenwell earned his first career Varsity win on the mound, striking out 8 Northwood Panthers in 4 1/3 innings of work, and Collin Morgan hit his 8th career Varsity home run (1st of the season) over the right field wall (Morgan is inches from having 3 home runs on the 2022 campaign)!

Thursday was another return to our cross town rivals, the Happy Valley Warriors.  What looked to be a lopsided final score, with Hampton having a 6-0 lead early, turned into an intense nailbiter, as the Bulldogs were nursing a 6-5 lead in the 6th, before getting a couple of insurance runs on our way to an 8-5 win (the 8th run coming on a beautiful squeeze bunt from M. Kuhn that scored C. Royston).  It was our 4th consecutive victory over the Warriors and 5th out of 7 overall.  We tip our caps to a scrappy, determined Warrior ball club!  Caleb Royston's gutsy 119 pitch, 11 strikeout effort and Collin Morgan's 3 strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings to earn the save, were enough on the mound after our offense was held at bay for several innings from the Warrior Bullpen.  

On Friday, the Avery County Vikings came to Scotty Bunton Field on a cold, blustery Friday night.  A 5-2 lead in the 3rd was tied at 5 runs apiece in the 6th.  It took a 2-run base knock by Caleb Royston, and a shutdown 7th inning from Josh Whitson, to seal the deal for the home Bulldogs and move the Baseball Bulldogs to 5-0 on the season.  The biggest play of the Friday game may have been Conor Jones leaping, athletic grab of a line-drive and doubling a Viking runner off of 1B to energize the home dugout on this freezing Friday night!      

I encourage you to check out our statistics page.  From stolen bases, to hits and RBI, and strikeouts on the mound, many of our players are off to nice starts in 2022.