It seemed like only a matter of time before the Dove Creek Bulldogs would find their stride. With talent up and down the lineup, the Bulldogs offense is putting together a dominant stretch – and the opposition is paying the price.
After an 0-5 start to the season, Dove Creek (9-6, 4-2 2A/1A SJBL) has won nine of its past 10, including an emphatic three-game sweep over district rival Nucla to turn the season around.
Juniors Taber Dejane, Hunter Daves, Gage Buffington and Mike Coffey have led the charge for head coach Trent Daves’ group, jolting the offense to a barrage of runs during their six-game winning streak.
Dejane has batted at better than a .500 clip, while leading the Bulldogs in hits and RBIs, while Buffington and Coffey have smacked the ball all over the Soper Sports Complex for a Dove Creek team that is batting .359 through the midpoint of the campaign.
Daves trails only senior Cole Taber on the team in terms of runs scored this season, while sophomore Sheldon Gardner leads the team in home runs. The offense amassed an eye-popping 125 runs in their past eight games, winning by the mercy-rule in all but two of those contests.
Daves and Taber have anchored the pitching staff that has settled down after a tough start to the season. The staff ERA plunged in the recent weeks, as Dove Creek only allowed an average of three runs per game in the past seven contests. Of the seven pitchers used by the Dove Creek skipper, the Bulldogs have struck out 87 opposing batters this season, while walking only 49.
The ‘Dogs carry their momentum into a meeting with Monticello on Tuesday, April 25, as the Bulldogs look to avenge an early season loss to the Buckaroos.
All of that leads up to a local clash with high-flying Montezuma-Cortez on Saturday, April 29 at McAndrew Field in Cortez, with opening pitch slated for 11 a.m.
M-CHS vaulted up to No. 7 in the state’s 3A CHSAA coaches rankings in the most recent poll – and for good reason. Like Dove Creek, M-CHS (14-3, 4-0 3A/2A IML) enjoys an eight-game winning streak that positions the Panthers for a memorable stretch run, with their exploits from this past week including a 3-2 thriller over San Juan.
Trailing 2-1 into the fifth, the Panthers scratched across a pair of runs to flip the score line in their favor, only to see junior Miles Frost enter the game on the mound and shut down the Bronco bats the rest of the way.
In a pitcher’s duel, Frost took the ball with one out in the fifth, and proceeded to deny the Broncos any real threat in his 2⅔ innings.
“We stayed mentally tough throughout the game,” said Frost after the win. “We didn’t let what happened early in the game get to us, and we kept pushing through.”
The right-hander mowed down three Broncos in his relief stint, including two in the seventh inning to seal the win. “I’ve had a lot more control with my breaking balls,” added Frost, “and it helps out when trying to take care of these batters.”
Six Panthers collected hits, including seniors Dorrian Hilliard and Lyle Carver, while it was starting pitcher Evan LaMunyon who drove in a crucial run in the game-changing fifth with a double.
As for the team’s overall success, Frost credits the connection that the players have on and off the diamond, “We’re a really close group, and we’ve gotten so many big plays from all the guys on the team – and that’s made this a really fun season.”
The Panthers also bested Alamosa (9-7, 2-4 3A IML) in a doubleheader sweep, 8-6 and 13-2, to stay perfect in league play and keep the Panthers atop the league standings with co-leader Bayfield.
