Journal Staff Report

It was not the best played baseball game in the world, according to Dolores County head coach Ken Soper, but a win is a win.

The Bulldogs defeated Monticello, Utah, 9-6 Friday afternoon, March 24, in a game played at Moab, Utah, because of wet grounds in Monticello.

"It was by far our worst game of the season," Soper said. "We looked awful but we still won."

Dove Creek committed seven fielding errors. The three pitchers also struggled. They gave up nine walks, two wild pitches, and hit two batsmen.

The Buckaroos jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the first two innings of play. The Bulldogs managed to get on the scoreboard in the top of the third with a run. They scored two more runs in the top of the fourth but Monticello scored again in the bottom of the stanza.

Dove Creek went out front 6-5 in a three-run fifth highlighted by a two-run homer by Terence Gardner. The Bulldogs added three more runs in the sixth before the Bucks added a run in the bottom of the seventh.

Justin Wyatt started the game on the mound for Dove Creek. Jade Husky came in and picked up the win. Gardner threw one out in the seventh. The pitchers limited the Bucks to only three hits.

Offensively, the Bulldogs hit the ball well, pounding out nine hits. In addition to Gardner’s homer, he slapped a single. Dallas Coker ripped two singles and knocked in three runs. Ron Ernst drilled a double and a single and Husky cracked two singles. The Bulldogs, though, stranded 12 runners. Several times they had runners at second and third with no outs and could not score.