Bulldog Sports Round-Up | May 23, 2025

• By YS News Staff
• Published: May 23, 2025

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MBC presents spring awards

The following students and coaches received spring awards within the Metro Buckeye Conference this year:

SOFTBALL
• Special Sport Award — Most Improved: Nora Bongorno
• Sportsmanship: Elena Tiguero-Sanchez
• First Team: Adeline Zinger and Isabella Millhoan
• Second Team: Tavey Johnson, Ayla Current and Maggie Wright

TENNIS
• Sportsmanship: Austin Thomas
• Coaches Award: Payton Horton
• First Team: Aiden Scavone
• Second Team: Tome Rios

BASEBALL
• Sportsmanship: Lucas Price
• First Team: Mason Cline
• Second Team: Mateo Basora, Caleb Derrickson and Jaxyn Fletcher

GIRLS TRACK
• Coach of the Year: Isabelle Dierauer

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BASEBALL

Seniors bid farewell
This week’s schedule listed two games for the middle school team. However, it just wouldn’t seem right to go through a week this season without a washout. In total, one third of their games were lost to the weather. The rematch with the Fairlawn Jets was the canceled game. However, the Bulldogs were able to get in their final game on Thursday, May 15, against the Legacy Christian Knights at Gaunt Park.

Henry Babb started the final game of the year for the McKinney team. He gave up only three hits and struck out nine in his four-and-a-third innings of work. The Bulldogs were only able to muster two hits in that same stretch. However, they took full advantage of several walks, an error and some slick baserunning, to amass a 5–0 lead. Theo Collins and Malini Miller were the ones to collect hits. Kai Kingsley, the leadoff hitter, did not have an official at-bat, but did have a stolen base and a run, after getting on base in all three plate appearances by virtue of walks.

Things looked great for the home team, with their 5–0 lead going into the last inning. However, the Knights were not ready to end their season so easily. They managed to post five runs in the top of the inning to tie the game, leaving one last at-bat for Nathan Collier’s young team.

Jaibre Anderson led off the inning with a walk. Collins followed Anderson with his second walk of the day. Miller was hit by a pitch, loading the bases for the Bulldogs without so much as a hit. Things looked better now, but the Knights’ pitcher bowed his back and struck out the next two Bulldogs. Down to the last out, Kingsley stepped into the batter’s box, anxiously awaiting a strike he could put into play to score the winning run. It was not to be.

Wait! A wild pitch was thrown by the Legacy pitcher and the fleet-footed Anderson set her sights on home plate. The pitcher was at the plate awaiting the throw from the catcher. As Kingsley stood aside to watch, Anderson executed an amazing head-first slide to avoid the tag. The deafening screams from her teammates will remain in Anderson’s head for some time, as a reminder of her walk-off head-first slide to victory.

The JV team had yet another rainout on Tuesday, May 13. Coach Sam Jacobs really wanted this rematch for his team to show they could beat the strong Knights club. They were, however, able to get in their final game of the year on Saturday, May 17, against rival Dayton Christian.

The DC Warriors traveled to Gaunt Park on Saturday for a rematch of their wild 9–9 tie back on April 25. Finn Turnmire got the start and shut down the Warriors hitters in the first inning. Our JV squad came to play on this day, earning three walks and rapping out five hits in the first inning to take a commanding 7–0 lead. DC fought back with two in the top of the second inning, but the Bulldogs matched that number and held a 9–2 lead after two innings.

The third inning spelled trouble for the Bulldogs when DC came back with a vengeance, scoring eight runs in the top of the inning. The Bulldogs could not recover in the bottom of the inning and now trailed 9–10. The teams traded barbs in the next two innings. Heading into the sixth inning, the score was tied at 14. DC put two on the board in the top of the inning, but the Bulldogs, after a rousing speech from Coach Scott Fleming managed to score five runs in their half of the inning.

With the Bulldogs now up by three, Coach Jacobs called on lefty Chris Goebel to close things out for the Bulldogs. The home team did not have to use their last at-bat because Goebel shut down the Warriors to close out the last game of the year with an exciting 19–16 roller-coaster-ride victory.

Turnmire stayed in the game much longer than normal due to the lack of pitchers because the varsity team was playing right after this game and might have needed to use some of them. In addition to performing yeoman’s work on the mound, Turnmire starred at the plate with four hits. Third baseman Edwin Harrah did his part, adding two singles and a double and smashing two other balls that were tracked down by sure-handed Warrior fielders. Oskar Dennis and Goebel each added two hits of their own to the tally. 

The varsity team traveled to Middletown on Monday, May 12. They escaped the heavy rains in town, but not the heavy bats of the Madison Mohawks. The Bulldogs had as much trouble figuring out what a Mohawk was as they did trying to solve their pitching. The Mohawks scored in only one inning, but it was enough to best the zero runs scored by the Bulldogs.

Friday, May 16, saw the Bulldogs host the Trotwood Rams for the second time this year. Senior Lucas Price got the start in his last pitching performance of his career. He did not disappoint as he scattered six hits and gave up one earned run in his five-and-two-thirds innings of work. The Bulldogs got off to an early 2–0 lead, but gave it back when the Rams scored one in the second and one in the third. The bats went cold, and the teams entered the final inning tied at 2.

A nifty relief pitching performance by Mateo Basora saw him throw 15 of his 16 pitches for strikes and give up no walks or hits. The bottom of the seventh started with Basora rapping a single in the hole on the right side. After a walk, a groundout moved the runners to second and third. The Rams coach decided to intentionally walk a frustrated Kian Rainey to load the bases and set up a double-play situation. Graham Turnmire was looking to do damage with the bases loaded, but got the bunt sign from Coach John VanDine at third base. He put down a perfect bunt to the right side, just past the pitcher. The first baseman, pitcher and catcher all frantically went after the ball, leaving home plate uncovered with the speedy Collin Goebel racing to home and easily scoring for the varsity’s version of their walk-off win.

Seniors Price, Elias Hamilton and Adrian Coe were celebrated on their Senior Night after the game. They were escorted by their families through a tunnel of bats held by their teammates, then took their last trip around the bases high-fiving their teammates along the way. They scooped up a jar of dirt from the batter’s box as a keepsake to remember their time on the baseball field before being given gifts, having their “shoutouts” read by Ms. Hyatt, and having pictures taken with their coaches.

Saturday’s second game at Gaunt Park was a game scheduled for 1 p.m. at Emmanuel Christian’s field but was moved to 7:30 at the Bulldogs’ home field because Emmanuel’s field was unplayable.

The game finally got under way at 8:25, but neither the late start, nor the long game before theirs took anything away from the Bulldogs. In fact, the excitement carried over from the players and the great group of fans that included a group of friends that could be heard from quite a distance. The cheering helped the Bulldogs take an early 2–0 lead, as Bryce Fleming shut down the Lions in the first inning. The teams swapped runs in the second inning and the Lions tied it in the third. The Bulldogs plated another run in the fourth inning, but gave up two in the bottom of the inning.

The length of the day and the expenditure of energy started to wear on the Bulldogs as their bats quieted and their defense leaked runs in the fifth and sixth innings. The Bulldogs gave a valiant effort in the seventh inning as Kian Rainey got hit by a pitch and Chris Goebel earned a two-out walk. Finn Turnmire ripped a line-drive single into left field to load the bases.

Alas, another hard hit on the day by Edwin Harrah was caught on a nice play by the Lions’ right fielder to end the game with the Bulldogs going down 4–6, long after the sun had gone down.

This ends the regular season for the Bulldogs. The varsity has their Sectional Tournament game scheduled for Wednesday, May 21, at Covington High School. Check back here next week to see how they fared. 

—Coach Mitch Clark

TRACK

Girls are MBC champs
For the first time since 2019, the Yellow Springs High School girls team won the Metro Buckeye Conference Track Championship. This is the sixth title in league history for the YSHS girls track team — which is the most of any school in the MBC since the inception of the league in 1997.

With a strong sense of conviction, determination and effort, the girls rallied in the last event of the meet,  the 1600-meter relay, to defeat Dayton Christian by a scant three points (139–136) to claim the championship trophy. The win was a total team effort by the entire squad.

Junior Llnyah Grant was a part of three first-place efforts and earned all-league honors. She ran a personal best time of 12.63 in the 100 meters while also winning the 200 meters (26.89). Grant teamed with Natalie Gilley, Brooklyn Hapgood and Olivia Washington in winning the 400-meter relay. Senior Tiger Collins capped off a fine career by winning the high jump (4’8”). Sophomore Isabella Espinosa sped to a personal best in winning the 100 hurdles (17.11).

Earning valuable second-place points were ninth graders Violet Matteson (400 meters — 65.6) and Washington (200 meters —28.45) along with senior Liliana Herzog (100 hurdles — 17.65). The 800-meter relay team of Inez Creepingbear, Gilley, Hapgood and Addison Shafeek gained valuable points, and the league-clinching 1600-relay title team of Herzog, Hapgood, Matteson and Washington closed out the meet with a silver-medal effort.

Third-place points were gained by Sasi Drees (3200 meters), Espinosa (300 hurdles), Herzog (long jump), Shafeek (discus), Washington (100 meters) and the 3200-relay team of Hazel Creepingbear, Drees, Rebecca DeWine and Matteson.

Other members who earned points were Paradise Everhart and Sierra Sundell-Turner.  Fine efforts were made by Abebu Barnett, Petra Nieberding and Bella Thomas.

The boys squad improved their finish from last year by finishing in fourth place. Senior Terrel Robinson earned all-league honors in winning the shot put (38-7). Junior Kiernan Anderson ran to a second-place finish in the 300 hurdles (48.3) while distance ace Kyle Johnston ran a fine time of 10:13 in the 3200 meters, where he finished in second place. Third-place efforts were garnered by the 400-meter relay team of Anderson, Collin Calfee, Morris Wyatt and Phoenix York. The 1600-meter relay team of Anderson, Matteo Chaiten, Logan Cooper and Nic Washington also placed third.

Other scoring contributions came from Adrian Benedict, Evan Galarza, Luka Rao, Wills Oberg, Sailor Schultz and Sherrod Wheeler. Cooper Fultz and Aaron White turned in solid efforts.

Coaches Isabelle Dierauer, David Johnston and John Gudgel were ecstatic over the victorious effort by the girls team, along with season best performances achieved by members of both the boys and girls team, further reiterating that the victory by the girls team was a total-team effort.

—Coach John Gudgel

  

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