Dolores County has taken firm control of first place in the San Juan League baseball standings with its doubleheader sweep of Dolores Tuesday afternoon, April 11, at Gonzales Field at Joe Rowell Park in Dolores.

The Bulldogs, who are now 4-0 in league play and 12-2 overall, crushed the Bears 10-2 in the first game and 18-5 in the second. They were scheduled to play Norwood this Saturday, April 15, but that game has been cancelled because Norwood dropped baseball this spring when only six players showed up. The Bears, 0-2 and 2-5, will travel to face Class 2A top-ranked Nucla for a twin bill beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday.

DCHS broke the game wide open in the top of the third inning by scoring six runs. The big blow came when Justin Wyatt slugged a three-run homer. Dallas Daves picked up another couple of runs batted in with a two-run homer. Chris Kail knocked in a run with a single. The Bulldogs led 6-0.

Dolores got on the scoreboard with a run in the bottom of the inning. Joe Martin walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and then scored on a single by Aeson Reed.

The Bulldogs added four more runs in the fourth. Wyatt and Terence Gardner both smacked two-run doubles.

Dolores starting pitcher Cullen Zion settled down at that point and threw well the rest of the game. He scattered only three hits over the next four innings. Wyatt threw 4 1/3 innings before being relieved by Dallas Coker. Wyatt and Coker held the usually-hard hitting Bears to five hits with Reed collecting two singles. Wyatt was the winning pitcher.

Joining Wyatt, Gardner, and Daves in the hit parade were Chris Kail, Jade Huskey and Keith Pierce with two singles each.

Dove Creek pushed four runs over the plate in the top of the first inning in the nightcap and coasted for the win from there. Daves slugged a three-run dinger and Gardner picked up an RBI with a single. They added three runs in the third. Dallas Coker slaped a run-scoring double and Kail brought home a run and another crossed the plate on a hit by Kail.

The Bears got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third when Zion walked and then came all the way home on a double by Brady Blackmer. Dolores made it a little closer with a run in the fourth when Nick Martin was forced home after Zion walked with the bases loaded.

Nails were pounded in the coffin in the top of the fifth when DCHS sent 16 batters to the plate and scored 11 runs. There were many highlights in the inning for Dove Creek. Gardner belted a three-run homer and came back with a two-run double his next time at bat. Pierce picked up two of his three hits and knocked in a run. Daves slugged a triple and brought home a run with a deep sacrifice fly to center. Ron Ernst slapped a run-scoring double and Wyatt knocked a run with a single. The Bulldogs took advantage of a throwing error and two hit batters.

The Bears rallied for three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Joe Schmitt pushed a run over with a single. The game ended at that point.