Eagles edge Bulldogs in 1st round

TED WADDELL
Posted 4/24/19

JEFFERSONVILLE, NY — On Saturday, April 13, Sullivan West presented their first-ever combined baseball and softball tournament. The home team Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs hosted teams from …

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Eagles edge Bulldogs in 1st round

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JEFFERSONVILLE, NY — On Saturday, April 13, Sullivan West presented their first-ever combined baseball and softball tournament. The home team Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs hosted teams from Hancock/Deposit, Hancock, Liberty and Monticello.

Originally slated to show off the district’s state-of-the-art fields at the main campus in Lake Huntington, the games were moved to the old fields of play in Jeffersonville: baseball at Lion’s Field and softball at Lauren Hughson Memorial Field.

The second baseball game pitted the Sullivan West Bulldogs against the Eagles of Hancock/Deposit. The home plate ump and the opposing coaches described it as one of the best games they’ve seen so far in this new season of high school swats.

“It was the best game I’ve seen all year. The pitching was quality, the fielding was great. It was a great day,” said home plate umpire Kort Wheeler, now in his 12th season of enforcing the rules.

The day before, Wheeler umped a no-hitter when the Tri-Valley Bears baseball squad blanked the Yellowjackets of Eldred 10-0.

Bill Kirk, coach of the Sullivan West varsity swatters, echoed the “head blue’s” comments about the hard-fought game, even though the Bulldogs lost 2-1 in seven frames. “It was a great game, a couple of great pitchers… It came down to who got the break,” he said. “The pitchers did a great job, one of the best I’ve seen. It was too bad we came up short today, but it was a pleasure to watch."

Sullivan West’s master of velocity Bryce Reimer hurled a two-hitter, striking out 16, while his opposite Luke Resti whiffed 12 in 25 at bats.

After four scoreless innings, the Bulldogs drew first blood in the fifth, as Luke Ellison scored on what Kirk described as “a tough play” when the Eagles threw the ball to center field with runners at second and third.

In the sixth and deciding frame, Hancock/Deposit sent two runners across the plate.

Lead-off batter Wyatt Jacobs was hit by a pitch and later scored on a double by Cole Russell, who then stole home on a grounder to the mound.

In the first matchup of the tourney, Hancock/Deposit defeated Monticello 1-0, and in the third game, Sullivan West pounded Liberty 16-5 in five frames.

Speaking of the tournament’s consolation game between the home team and Liberty, Sullivan West scored 10 runs in the bottom of the fifth, and at bat, Reimer was 2-for-3 including a gland slammer that shut the gate on the Indians.

Asked what it was like to play Sullivan West, Eagle’s coach Matt Mastropietro, replied, “They always give us a good run."

sports, baseball, tournament, Sullivan West Bulldogs, hancock/deposit eagles

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