Baseball: BCC sweeps Chargers

by Tommy Lemoine

The Dow High varsity baseball team dropped both games of its doubleheader against Bay City Central Monday, battling uphill all evening long.

The Wolves defeated Dow 6-5 in game one behind the consistent pitching performance of Central’s Derrick Dalzell. Dalzell did give up 12 hits and five runs, but seemed to get outs when it mattered the most.

Meanwhile, Dow starter Sean Hartman gave up four runs in the first inning, creating a deficit that was too much for the Chargers to overcome down the stretch.

“With the schedule that we play, you can’t show up to the game and go down four or five runs and expect to win,” said Dow coach Kip Harris. “But I think (Hartman) did a nice job settling down.”

Hartman went six innings and struck out six in the loss.

Catcher Matt Skirving, who went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, thought the team’s inability to consistently hit Dalzell’s fastball led to their demise.

“We can’t get fooled on fastballs,” he said. “We can’t just watch and take them for strikes.”

Offensively, Dalzell helped his cause on the mound by picking up three hits, including a two-run single in the fourth that closed out the scoring for the Wolves.

Along with Skirving, Connor Hanlon led the Chargers’ offense, going 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Brett Lechner and Tim McDonald added two hits apiece for the Chargers.

Game two turned out to be a high-scoring affair as BCC swept the doubleheader with a 9-8 win.

Dow pitcher Nick Bruns and BCC hurler Jason Ryczek kept the offenses in check throughout the first five innings, giving up only two runs apiece.

“I think Nick did a pretty good job,” Harris said. “He got himself into a little trouble late in the game, and when it came to the fifth and sixth innings his pitch count got pretty high.”

After getting into a jam in the sixth, Bruns turned the ball over to McDonald, who came in for relief for the second straight game. After three runs were plated on back-to-back singles, Zach Miller opened the game up with a bases-clearing triple that highlighted a seven-run frame.

The Chargers responded quickly, though, putting together a six-run rally of their own initiated by Hanlon’s single in the bottom half of the sixth.

But just as they had in game one, the Chargers fell just short of completing the comeback.

Ryczek picked up the win for the Wolves, going six innings and giving up eight runs on 12 hits. BCC’s offensive attack was led by Reed, Dalzell, and Miller, who recorded seven hits between them. The Chargers’ offense was backed by Lechner and Hanlon, who each went 3-for-4.

The common trend throughout the entire day was that Dow was unable to maintain the fight they showed in almost coming back from considerable deficits in both games.

“It was a good thing to see that we have a little fight in us,” Harris said, “but it’s not something we can do all season.”

The Chargers look to turn things around this Thursday when they travel to Saginaw High to take on the Trojans at 3:30.

Junior Chargers drop two to Wolves

The Dow High junior varsity baseball team lost both games of its doubleheader against Bay City Central Monday.

The Chargers dropped the first game 5-1, despite a decent outing from pitcher Josh Hunting.

“(Hunting) pitched real well for us, he got out of some jams,” said assistant coach Tom Cronkright. “Their starting pitcher pitched a heck of a game, though, and we have to give all the credit to them.”

The Wolves also took game two by a score of 8-4. Pitcher Eli Rytlewski, who Cronkright also felt pitched well, led the Chargers along with reliever Ben Dvorak.

“As a team, we played fairly well,” Cronkright said. “It’s just the little things that need to come together for us in the future.”

Rytlewski and Hunting combined for an astounding 21 strikeouts in the losses, a good sign for the Chargers who, according to their assistant coach, are still trying to settle into their season.

“I think we played well considering we’ve only been together a few times this season, and only twice outdoors,” Cronkright said.