Yellow Springs senior Adeline Zinger on the mound at a recent Middletown Christian game. Despite Zinger’s zingers, the Bulldogs fell 8–22. (Photo by Jyoti Miller)
Bulldog Sports Round-Up | May 2, 2025
- Published: May 16, 2025
BASEBALL
Eventful week for Bulldogs
The YS High School varsity baseball team played a two-game home series against the Dayton Christian Warriors last week. Both games were played at Gaunt Park because the early-season series games were both played at Dayton Christian, due to weather-related issues at Gaunt Park.
The Tuesday, April 22, game saw Mason Cline take the mound and have a solid outing. Dayton Christian jumped out to a 0–2 lead in the first inning as the middle of their lineup strung together a couple of hits that led to runs. The Bulldogs fought back to plate one of their own with back-to-back hits by Mateo Basora and Cline, followed by a sacrifice fly to center field by Caleb Derrickson. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs were only able to get one more hit off the Warriors’ pitchers and no more runs. Jaxyn Fletcher came in to relieve Cline and gave up one hit that led to one run. That was enough to take down the home team on this night.
The game Thursday, April 24, was a good one that saw the Warriors score a run in the first inning off Bryce Fleming. After that, Fleming kept the Warrior hitters off balance while the Bulldog hitters tried to put together a rally to even the score. Down 0–1 in the bottom of the fourth inning, Cline led off with a double to left field. Derrickson followed with a single to the left side as well. After a strikeout, Kian Rainey walked to load the bases for what looked to be a big inning. Ashby Lyons hit a single to score Cline, but a runner was thrown out and the next batter struck out, so one run was all the Bulldogs could muster. The Warriors continued to put runs on the board, despite the fine pitching performance by Fleming and his relievers Derrickson and Basora. All in all, the 1–8 final did not seem to indicate how well the young and developing Bulldogs played.
The varsity and junior varsity teams were both off on Friday and Saturday due to prom.
Earlier in the week, the JV team played Belmont at home. This was a tight 3–1 affair after three innings. Several Bulldog pitchers held down the Bison long enough for the Bulldog hitters to get comfortable and post a seven-run fourth inning. The Bulldogs cruised home from there, taking the game with a 12–8 final score, led by a strong three-hit performance by Lyons and a two-hit, two-RBI game by Edwin Harrah. That win brought the JV record to 3–1 on the year.
The Mechanicsburg Indians strode into town on Wednesday, April 23, intent on showing their fans why they are undefeated. Lyons started strong and kept the team in the game despite multiple errors behind him. The Bulldogs took advantage of hits by Graham Turnmire and Fletcher, along with multiple walks and stolen bases, to score three runs. However, the Indians continued to score as the Bulldogs just couldn’t make the needed plays in the field. The Indians left victors, at 18–3, with the Bulldogs feeling the sting of defeat.
Not wanting to have that feeling again, Coaches Sam Jacobs and Scott Fleming met with their team for a reset. They were going into Friday, April 25, against archrival Dayton Christian and wanted to ensure their team was ready. Normally focused almost entirely on experiential development to prepare for varsity, this lead-up had a different feel to it. The Bulldogs prepared for this match-up as they traveled to Miamisburg for the Dayton Christian field. They stepped off the bus ready to roll — and they did just that.
Collin Goebel led off the game with a walk, Harrah popped one up to third, then Finn Turnmire cajoled a walk for himself. Lyons stepped up to the plate and drilled a line drive double to left field, scoring Goebel. David Torres ripped a single to center, knocking in both Turnmire and Lyons. Senior Lucas Price then joined the party with a single. After a strikeout for the second out of the inning, Chris Goebel added a single that brought in Torres and Price but was cut down trying to advance to second base.
All totaled, the Bulldogs had put together a five-run first inning and felt good about where things stood.
Turnmire had a shaky start to his game with several walks, and a couple of hit-by-pitches caused by the Warriors’ questionable strategy of leaning into pitches. Alas, the great start had been washed away and the score leveled at 5–5 after an eventful first inning. The Bulldog bats settled down, as did Turnmire, leading to a 6–8 tally after six innings. The seventh started with a ground out and a fly out for the Bulldogs, so things started to look bleak. However, Torres hit a hard grounder that the Warrior shortstop couldn’t handle. Price walked, setting up runners on first and second for Graham Turnmire. Graham ripped a line drive to left, scoring both Torres and Price.
Price, in relief, shut down the Warriors in the bottom of the seventh, leaving the game knotted at 8–8. Extra innings started with Collin Goebel taking a four-pitch walk. Harrah ripped a single to left to set up Turnmire for what looked like another big rally. Turnmire deftly hit behind the runners to right field, knocking in Collin Goebel. Lyons was hit by a pitch but that was followed by an infield fly and a strikeout, ending the rally but putting the Bulldogs on top and only three outs away from a win. Price got the leadoff hitter to hit into a ground out and struck out the next, now needing only 1 more out to close the door. An error turned the final out into a base runner that was followed by a hit to again leave the game tied.
The 9–9 extra-inning score was not to be broken as the light had run out on one of the most exciting games of the year. The Bulldogs will have to wait for another opportunity to vanquish the mighty Warriors of Dayton Christian.
The middle school team traveled to Cedarville to take on the Indians at their home park for a rematch of a home game from the week before. The Bulldogs bettered the previous 12–8 win by doubling up the Indians in this contest, 16–8. Kai Kingsley led the way by rapping out three hits on the day in support of strong pitching by Evan Collier and Henry Babb. He also came in to close out the game with a strong pitching performance of his own.
The Bulldogs were 4–5 on the year with a chance to get to an even .500 as they took on the very hard-hitting Mechanicsburg Indians. These Indians are known for their prodigious bats, and they proved that early. Not ones to shy away from a challenge, the Bulldogs did everything they could do to battle back. An eight-run third inning was just too much to overcome and the Bulldogs took the 8–12 loss in a hard-fought game.
The week closed out with a game that had to be canceled on Saturday, April 26, due to poor field conditions — not an uncommon occurrence in this year of so many frustrating cancellations. Hopefully the upcoming week will be more kind in terms of the weather.
—Coach Mitch Clark
SOFTBALL
Two losses for Bulldogs
On Tuesday, April 22, the Bulldogs faced off against Dayton Christian in a high-scoring at-home contest that concluded with a 9–25 loss for the home team.
Despite the defeat, senior Adeline Zinger delivered a standout performance, going 4-for-4 at the plate, including a home run, a triple and a double, contributing three RBIs. Seniors Isabella Millhoan and Ayla Current also added to the team’s offensive totals, with the former contributing three hits and the latter two hits and two RBIs.
The Bulldogs again battled Dayton Christian, this time away, on Thursday, April 24; the Bulldogs came up short in the contest, falling 14–32. Individual statistics were not available for the game at press time. Results of a Saturday, April 26, game had also not yet been reported at press time.
The Bulldogs currently hold a conference record of 0–5, with an overall record of 0–6.
TRACK
Bulldogs take on Greene County Invitational
Participating in the ultra-competitive ninth annual Greene County Invitational held Thursday, April 24, at the new Fairborn High School Athletic Complex, the YSHS girls finished in sixth place, while the boys came in seventh place. Numerous personal- and season-best marks were achieved by the Bulldog thinclads.
Junior Llnyah Grant ran to second place in the 200 meters (27.13) and third place in the 100 meters (13.4). Senior Tiger Collins leaped to a height of 4’10” in the high jump, which was good enough for second place, while also scoring an eighth-place effort in the long jump. Distance ace Sasi Drees ran a season best time of 13:40 in the 3200-meter race for a fifth-place finish, while the all-ninth-grade quartet of Elise Bongorno, Natalie Gilley, Brooklyn Hapgood and Olivia Washington sprinted to a fifth-place (56.4) effort in the 400 relay. Washington scored points for the Bulldogs in the 200 meters.
The Bulldog duo of Liliana Herzog (third) and Isabella Espinosa (fourth) ran great races in the 100-meter hurdles. A slew of Bulldogs earned seventh-place scoring efforts, with Isabella Espinosa (long jump); Addison Shafeek (discus); the 800-relay team of Inez Creepingbear, Gilley, Hapgood and Petra Nieberding; and the 1600-relay team of Abebu Barnett, Elise Bongorno, Liliana Herzog and Violet Matteson all contributing to the scoring. Ninth grader Matteson ran a personal best in the 400 meters (65.7) for an eighth-place score. Sierra Sundell-Turner ran a season-best time in the 800 meters. Hazel Creepingbear, Paradise Everhart, Bella Thomas and Evie Thomas performed admirably.
On the boys side, junior Kyle Johnston ran two personal best times in the 1600 (4:43) and the 3200 (10:31), which earned him silver medal points. Senior Terrel Robinson finished in fifth place (discus) and a personal best in the shot put (40’9½’’) for sixth place. The 400-relay tandem of Kiernan Anderson, Aaron White, Morris Wyatt and Phoenix York finished in fifth with a season best time of 48.4. A bevy of eighth-place scoring efforts were achieved, including White (high jump); Matteo Chaiten (400 meters, personal best time of 55.6); the 800-meter relay team of Anderson, Logan Cooper, Thomas Reeves and Sherrod Wheeler; the 1600-relay team of Anderson, Chaiten, Cooper and Nic Washington; and 3200-relay team, Adrian Benedict, Cooper, Wills Oberg and Luka Rao. Rounding out the scoring for the Bulldogs with eighth-place efforts were Nic Washington (400 meters) and Phoenix York (200 meters).
Coaches Isabelle Dierauer and John Gudgel commented that the Bulldogs were not intimidated by the high level Division 1 competition, along with rounding into mid-season form. The Bulldogs will compete at the Mechanicsburg Relays on Friday, May 2.
—Coach John Gudgel
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