April 13, 2017 Bulldog sports round-up
- Published: April 13, 2017
Softball
The Bulldog girls began league play last week in electric fashion. They hit for runs early and often, then rode the dominant pitching of Hannah Morrison to defeat Xenia Legacy Christian 7–3 in their Metro Buckeye Conference, or MBC, opener.
“Morrison had the most impressive outing of her career today,” Coach Jim DeLong said.
Indeed, she was nearly unhittable: she only allowed two singles; didn’t walk a batter; struck out 18 batters in seven innings; and didn’t give up any earned runs. Morrison also aided her cause at the plate with three hits, including a towering line drive home run to left field, surprising DeLong. “Morrison is usually a line drive gap hitter so when she hit the home run I think it shocked everybody. She got under that ball and it just continued to carry,” he said.
The Bulldogs scored runs in the first three innings to take a 4–0 lead, and scored a run in every inning but one to slowly pull away from their opponent. Besides Morrison, the offense was led by juniors Kelsie Lemons and Brielle Willis, who both got on base twice and both scored a run. “Lemons and Willis have really stepped up their hitting this year. It’s given our team a lot of depth; they both can hit and field and Willis can fly around the bases,” DeLong said.
The Bulldog defense also had their moments in the later innings. Second baseman Elly Kumbusky and first baseman Kallyn Buckemyer were flawless in the field, with five putouts. “Kumbusky has made all the plays for me this year. Buckemyer is usually an outfielder who had to fill in for me at first base, where she did an outstanding job,” DeLong said. And senior catcher Danny Horton was behind the plate the entire game. “Horton is my rock behind the plate. She enjoys catching Morrison and is a smart player. She makes a big difference for this team with her ability to catch Morrison,” DeLong continued.
The Bulldogs also traveled to play a game at Springfield Catholic Central, jumping out to a quick 10–0 lead after three innings to win by a final score of 10–4. Morrison struck out 13 batters on the mound, and Kadie Lafferty and Danny Horton each had three hits and scored two runs. “Our team scored early and often against Central. The bats really came alive today, and that helped Morrison relax on the mound. Our team played a complete game today,” DeLong said.
The Bulldogs are focused on winning the MBC, according to DeLong. “The girls know our goal of winning the MBC is within reach. It will be exciting to see how they execute,” he said.
Baseball
The Bulldog boys had a tough week. One game was rained out; the remaining three games resulted in losses for the battlin’ Bulldogs. “We made a bunch of little errors that cost us all three games,” Coach Brandon Bresler observed.
Last Tuesday, April 4, those “little errors” added up, and the boys lost 14–1 to Legacy Christian, a team they’ve made strong showings against in the past. Dylan Rainey was the starting pitcher, with Donnie Isenbarger taking the mound in the fifth inning.
The boys went up against Tri Village in a doubleheader last Saturday, April 8. The first game was the stronger performance. “They were in it for the entire game,” Bresler said. The Bulldogs were up 3–2 in the sixth inning. Aakeem Truss pitched, giving up three hits and five total runs. Yellow Springs ended up falling short 5–3, again because of errors, according to Bresler.
The second game against Tri Village was a killer. The boys lost 15–3, giving up only two runs that were earned. Errors were the major culprit. Chance Rouch was the starting pitcher, with solid pitching in the first three innings. “But we weren’t making plays to help him,” Bresler said. Donnie Isenbarger pitched the rest of the game.
The Bulldogs were down four players last week, playing with just 10 boys. The team will be back up in numbers this week, and will be “working on fundamentals” during practice, Bresler said.
Track & Field
The Bulldog boys and girls competed last Friday, April 7, at the super-charged, ultra-competitive 15-team Old KTC Invitational. Julian Roberts repeated her champion performances of previous years, winning the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 48.87.
Ayanna Madison ran to a 7th-place finish in the 100 meters, with a time of 13.7, while Jude Meekin secured an 11th-place finish in the 3200-meters with a time of 13:31. Personal bests were earned by Dede Cheatom, Lydia Fleetman, Payden Kegley and Stacia Strodes.
On the boys’ side, Sam Wildenhaus finished in 12th place in the 3200 meters, with a personal best time of 11:23. Personal bests were also established by Mark Bricker, Raven Campbell and Harper Mesure.
Overall the boys came in last, and the girls next to last — disappointing to the team, yet redeemed by the individual bright spots.
Tennis
The Bulldog “racqueteers” suffered their first loss last week, against Waynesville. The Spartans got off to a quick start, and unfortunately the Bulldogs weren’t able to recover, losing four courts to the one win, in which Augie Knemeyer delivered a 6–0, 6–0 blow.
But in true Bulldog fashion, the team was able to rebound with a strong win on Monday, April 10, the first away match, versus Springfield. The mighty Bulldogs won 4–1. The rookie second doubles team of Kike Coronado and Tyler Linkhart delivered the highlight of the match, winning 7–5, 6–1. The first set was neck-and-neck all the way to the end. But the Coronado/Linkhart combo stayed mentally tough, chasing down balls in a very defensive-minded set win. The duo tamed the Wildcats in an easy second set gain that sealed the team win.
Other winning courts against Springfield included first singles Augie Knemeyer (6–0, 6–2); second singles Forrest Rowe (6–2, 6–3); and third singles Peter Day (6–0, 6–1). Holding a 4–1 season record, the Bulldogs confidently entered their first conference match against Miami Valley on Tuesday, April 11. Results of that match will appear in next week’s issue of the News.
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