Dove Creek is settling in early in the 2025 season, grinding out a 7-5 win over county rival Dolores on Tuesday at home after a sluggish first four innings.
Leading the Bulldogs was junior Josh Kibel, who finished 2-4 with two runs, three RBIs, and a double. Sophomore Cael Beanland provided ample support on the mound, tossing four innings of no-hit ball with eight strikeouts, while also contributing offensively with two hits and two RBIs. Senior Sheldon Gardner added to the offensive drive with a 2-3 performance, scoring a run and driving one in.
For the Bears, senior Wyatt Kiddoo had a solid defensive game, recording a perfect fielding percentage and contributing a hit in four at-bats. On pitching duties, sophomore Levi Hampton pitched five innings, allowing six runs while striking out four, providing some solid innings for his team.
The game remained scoreless through the first four innings, with neither team able to find their rhythm in both hitting and pitching, leaving the score tied at 0-0.
Dove Creek broke the deadlock when junior Mason Forst made a big hit, and Dolores' defense could not field it in time, allowing Forst to reach third base. This sparked a chain reaction as teammate Kibel stepped up and immediately hit a triple, bringing Forst home to give the Bulldogs their first run.
Beanland then stepped up with a double, sending Kibel across the plate to extend Dove Creek’s lead by the end of the fifth inning, 2-0.
“We were sort of in a funk the first few innings until we had one big hit that kind of sparked us,” said head coach Chris Beanland. “Once you hit one run, it seems like the rest comes a little bit easier.”
The Bulldogs quickly shut down the Bears in the top of the sixth, retiring two batters in a row at first base. Sophomore Konner Spigner then struck out another batter, preventing any potential comeback for Dolores and allowing Dove Creek to settle back in at the plate.
After loading the bases and taking advantage of some wild pitches to steal bases, Dove Creek added two more runs. Kibel then came through with a clutch double, scoring Spigner and senior Frankey Montoya. Cael Beanland followed with a key hit, bringing Kibel home to extend the lead to 7-0.
It seemed like the Bulldogs had complete control, leaving Dolores struggling to catch up until the top of the seventh, when the Bears flipped the script.
When Dove Creek mishandled a ball between plays, it led to freshman Branson Lee stealing second base. Lee then scored when teammate TJ Adie’s hit gave him enough time for a complete run, putting the Bears on the board for the first time.
This success sparked a chain reaction as sophomore Waylon Kiddoo followed with a hit, loading the bases for Dolores. Spigner then threw four balls, allowing Adie to walk and bringing in another run for the Bears.
Another defensive hiccup from Dove Creek allowed freshman Hayden Lancaster to steal home from third, delivering another run and bringing Dolores closer to tying the game. Senior Wyatt Kiddoo followed up with an important hit, scoring both Waylon Kiddoo and Hampton, cutting the Bulldogs' lead to 7-5, but the excitement of the 5-0 run was cut short when Dove Creek ousted a base runner to close the game.
After Dove Creek's first win of the season, following the challenge of getting athletes healthy and back from winter sports, Coach Beanland said he hopes that the team's strong pitching performance will carry over as they prepare to face their Class 1A opponents.
“This is our first win, but our pitching this season has been awesome,” he said. “Hopefully we continue that trend and along with scoring a little more runs, and I think we’ll win a lot of games.”
The Bulldogs will host Nucla on Friday, then travel to Sargent on April 11, followed by a trip to Ignacio on April 14. On April 19, they will head to Pagosa Springs for a tournament, where they will face Sierra Grande and La Veta. The Bulldogs will then travel to Dolores on April 22 for another matchup against the Bears.
Meanwhile, Dolores continues the road to a second win when they visit Nucla on April 15 before traveling to Monticello on April 18, then returns home to face the Bulldogs on April 22, and will finish the week with an away game at Center on April 25.
