Wild Season Continues, Bulldogs Sit in First

It has been crazy.  GMLOK baseball entered the week of April 30 in the midst of a wild season.  An 8-1 start is probably their best ever, tying the program’s best win total the last 14 years-plus.  There were three eight-inning victories and a pair of seventh inning holds (including squandering a 9-0 lead versus L/P, then winning 10-9 in walk-off fashion).  Another week, more madness.  On Monday, the Bulldogs took a loss at Stewartville.  Drew Copley was strong on the mound through five (1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K, ND, 1-3, 2B), but left due to a pitch count.  Cousin Zane Stier went all eight innings (3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K, Win).  The Tigers won 1-0 with a walk-off hit in the bottom of the eighth, handing GMLOK its first ‘L’ in extras.  Houston (2-8) then nearly wrecked the Bulldogs (8-2) mojo.  GMLOK won the team’s first meeting 12-0, but a re-match saw the ‘Canes score six in the fifth to lead 8-5.  It was 9-5 heading to the bottom of seven.  The first three Bulldog hitters reached on playable balls (scoring a run).  A Dylan Lunning hit then plated two, making it 9-8 (no outs, man on second).  An out and a strikeout seemingly had Houston expiring.  But the strikeout reached on a passed ball.  With runners on first and third (one out), Dustin Copley hammered a walk-off 2-run double to center (second GW-RBI of the year).  The Bulldogs survived 10-9!  Nick Ramaker (3-4, 2 RBI, R), Lunning (2-4, 2B, RBI, R), and Dustin C. (1-4, 2B, 2 RBI) did damage on ‘O’.  Christian Millette collected the win.  Jaytin Millen (2-4, 2B, 2 RBI) and James Hongerholt (2-2, RBI, 2 R) led Houston (2-7, 2-9).  Next for GMLOK was a re-match with L/P.  The Athletics led 3-2 and had the Bulldogs down to their last out.  But Reid Kruegel and Nolan Skifter singled back-to-back.  Already with a solo home run, Bulldog top hitter Drew Copley blasted a 3-run go-ahead home run off the Marccusen Park scoreboard!  Millette threw four pitches in the bottom of seven to get the win.  GMLOK grabbed its 10th victory, 5-3!  Drew C. (2-4, 2 HR (3), 4 RBI, 2 R, 6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, ND) led the way.  Kruegel (2-4, 2 R), Jacob Welch (2-3), and Skifter (1-3, RBI, R) helped.  Dakotah Rostad’s Bulldogs then smacked AC/G-E 17-1 in five innings.  Kruegel (4-5, 2 RBI, 2 R) hit his first career home run.  Freshmen Dustin C. (4-4, 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R, 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, Win) and Nick Eickhoff (2-3, 2B, 4 RBI) drove in 7 runs.  The team had 20 hits and drove in all 17 runs.  Getting some help from Schaeffer and Randolph (6-1, 9-1), which handed Spring Grove (6-3, 7-3) three losses, GMLOK (8-0, 11-2) leads the SEC over the Rockets.