This week’s game of the week was the county rivalry, NA vs. FC on the baseball diamond. Both teams this year have high aspirations for a sectional championship so it’s surprise it was the game of the week.
The game’s first inning was fairly uneventful. No team made any real big plays or scored any runs, but the second inning was a different story. The Bulldogs pitcher threw four balls to put FC on base. This was followed by a bunt and deep hit into the outfield which resulted in the Highlanders taking the lead 0-2. The Bulldogs then came out looking for their first sign of life. It came when sophomore Kristian Sifers hit a bomb into left field that flew right over the fence. The home run was followed by a two-run hit from Jacob Mullins, but at the top of the third the Bulldogs found themselves still down by one.
“I felt good watching the ball fly in the air,” Sifers said. “I knew I had gotten solid contact with the ball and at that point all I could do was hope that it stayed fair, and it did. As a team I felt that we could have been more aggressive at the plate. I also wish we could have gotten our guys into home plate who were stranded out on the bases.”
FC continued scoring. They had made their move to score again off of an error from veteran senior Logan Charbonneau on second. Despite the error, the Bulldogs still fought hard and ended the inning with a quick double play by sophomore Steven Thom on first and third bases.
The Bulldogs were able to contain the Highlanders until the sixth inning when they tacked on two more runs to put themselves up by four. The Bulldogs were unable to mount a comeback and despite a well-played game from the reining sectional champions, they fell short 1-5.
The Bulldogs continue to struggle against the Highlanders on the baseball field as they have lost to them nine straight times. The Bulldogs next game is on Saturday, April 15 in a double header against Jasper in the Wildcats’ territory.