Sports Page 8 The Gunnison Valley Gazette Senior baseball players are honored with their parents. Thursday, April 30, 2009 Mark Henline/Gunnison Valley Gazette Bulldogs head into the playoffs by ANDY HILL Heading into the last week of regular season play, the Bulldogs were looking to gain some much needed momentum at the right time. Starting the week, there was a lot at stake, including a possible third straight Region 12 Championship and home field advantage for the first round of the playoffs. The Bulldogs started things off on the right foot with a solid win over the South Sevier Rams. Led by Jaden James, who went 2 for 4 with four RBIs, the Dogs jumped out quickly and never looked back. Scoring five runs in the first and seven more in the third, it looked as though the bats were coming alive at the right time. From the mound it was a solid effort from Shawn Gublei, who scattered six hits on the day to pick up the win. With the important Region win on Tuesday behind them, the Bulldogs hosted Layton Christian in a non-region match-up. From the beginning it was all Gunnison who scored 14 runs in the third to put the game out of reach. Senior Trevor Madsen picked up the win on the mound, the first of his high school career. With two solid wins, and momentum on their side, the Bulldogs made the long trip to Blanding to take on their rivals the San Juan Broncos. Over the years this match-up has been filled with emotion from both sides. It is a game where two great programs, who don’t really like each other, battle it out on the baseball diamond. Like most games between the Bulldogs and Broncos, there was allot on the line. This year it was no different as the Region 12 Championship and a 1st place spot in the 2A State Championship Tournament was up for grabs. From the start it was clear that it would be nothing short than a hitting exhibition. In a game that saw a combined 29 hits, it was not clear who had the edge as the lead changed almost every half inning. But in the top of the sixth the Broncos pushed over 8 runs to take the lead for good. The Bulldogs battled back, scoring five runs of their own in the last two innings, but it was not enough. Heston Neal, who had two doubles, and Matt Har- ris, who had a towering home run, led the Bulldogs from the plate. In the second game of the double header, the Bulldogs fell behind early on and were not able to come back. The San Juan Broncos, who had 16 hits for the game, clinched the Region 12 Championship win the win and the 1st place seed for the playoffs. This week the Bulldogs head into the 2A State Baseball Championship with a #3 seed from Region 12. This will have them traveling to either Kanab or Parowan for the first round game. The Dogs, who are definitely no stranger to the playoffs, will have to win on the road as they did in 2006 when the entered as a #3 seed and eventually played for the State Championship. The Bulldogs will be matched up against Region 14’s #3 seed , likely American Leadership Academy, in a must win game. In the other part of the bracket, either Kanab or Parowan will take on Region 14’s #5 seed, Rowland Hall. The winner of these games will play on Saturday to determine who will enter the tournament as a front runner to win the tournament. Tennis Team prepares for region Then Gunnison High School Tennis Team had a big week and finally had some nice weather to play tennis in. First up for the Bulldogs came the Rams from Parowan. The Rams won 3-2 winning the first and third singles and second doubles position. Erik Rosenvall won 6-0, 4-6, and 6-3 in second singles and Conner Ashton and Spencer Agren won 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 in first doubles. Next came the Manti Templars who beat the Bulldogs 5-0. The team played well, but the Templar’s once again proved to be the coun- by MITCH PETERSON The Gunnison Lady Bulldog softball team clinched a playoff spot with their win over South Sevier last Tuesday, April 21st. Sara Brown’s inside-the-park Grand Slam highlighted a ten-run fourth inning and propelled the Bulldogs to the 11-9 home field victory. The Bulldogs wrap up the Region 12 season on Tuesday, April 28th with a doubleheader against San Juan in Blanding. Then they’ll head to the first day of the 16- team, double-elimination 2A state tournament on Saturday, May 2nd, at the Spanish Fork softball complex. The Bulldogs can still finish anywhere from second to fifth place in region play, depending on how things go at Blanding, so it’s unclear who they’ll play at state. Their first game at the tournament is at either 10 am or 12 noon on Saturday, then they’ll play again at either 2 pm or 4 pm. Teams that win at least one of their two games on Saturday return to Spanish Fork on Friday and Saturday, May 8th and 9th, for two more days of tourney action. The championship game is scheduled for 12:15 pm on Saturday, May 9th. The Bulldogs are back in the playoffs after a five year absence. “It feels great,” said Bulldog assistant coach Boyd Allred, who’s been with the team the past four years. “I expected it earlier, but I’m glad it finally happened for us. It took a lot of dedication, more players to help out in practice, and the freshmen came in enthused. Everybody is really excited. Hopefully we’re setting a precedent here and we can keep going to the playoffs year after year,” Allred added. Against South Sevier last Tuesday, Gunnison pitcher Hailey Allred struck out nine, while the Bulldogs won the Courtesy Photo Chris Jensen. ties dominate tennis program. Wasatch Academy proved to be a tough match with the Bulldogs prevailing 3-2. Dillon Bown posted a win with a score of 3-6,6-3,6-3 in first singles. Rosenvall won 6-2, 16, 6-4 and Ashton and Agren won 6-1, 6-1. Chris Jensen and Sam Hansen played tough but lost in a three set match with a score of 6-4, 1-6, 2-6. The final match for the team brought South Sevier to town. The Bulldogs lost 2-3 with Bown and Rosenvall winning 6-1, 75 and 6-0, 6-1 respectively. Do Your Best Mitch Peterson/Gunnison Valley Gazette Gunnison’s lone senior softball player, Hailey Allred, was showered with gifts and praise from coaches and teammates on senior day last Tuesday, April 28th. She’s pictured here with her parents, Annette and Boyd Allred. game with that big fourth inning. It was the last home game of the year and senior day for Hailey, the team’s lone senior. She was showered with gifts from teammates and coaches. Boyd says Hailey’s success comes from hard work. “Hailey pitched hard all winter and she was ready to go come game time,” Boyd said. Her little sister, Morgan, is a freshman on this year’s team, so for one year, Boyd got to coach two daughters. “That’s what keeps me going,” he said. “I’ll keep coaching as long as they want me to.” Junior outfielder Felicia Jensen has been Hailey’s teammate the last three years. “Hailey’s the one that keeps us going,” Jensen said. “She’s our leader and we’re really going to miss her.” Jensen is having a good year in right field and at the plate. “It’s really exciting to be going to the playoffs,” Jensen said. “We’ve been winning a lot this year, so it’s been fun.” Against South Sevier last week, she had two doubles and two RBI’s in the fourth inning as the Bulldogs sent 14 hitters to the plate and scored ten runs. “I think my batting has improved a lot this year,” Jensen said. “McKell and Krystal have helped us a lot on that.” Assistant coaches Mckell Ashton and Krystal Young both played college softball and bring a lot of expertise and enthusiasm to the team. “They know so much, it’s great to have them around,” Jensen said. The Bulldogs started well in the South Sevier game as Sara Brown led off with a single and eventually scored, but the Rams came back to take a 3-1 lead. Then the Bulldogs staged the rally of the year in the bottom of the fourth inning. After a quick out, the Bulldogs next 10 batters reached base and scored. In addition to Brown’s grand slam and Jensen’s two doubles, Stephanie Spencer had a double, a single, and scored two runs in the inning; Cami Carlisle singled and scored; Kayla Peterson walked, then Kadie Maloney ran the bases and scored; Olivia Miller singled and scored; Morgan Allred singled and scored; Hailey Allred was hit by a pitch, then Hannah Childs ran for her and scored; and Kayli Frandsen doubled and scored. Brown’s inside the park Grand Slam was the day’s highlight. “I was just really excited, I’ve never done that before,” Brown said. A natural right-hander, she’s been batting from the left side to take advantage of her speed. “This is the first year I’ve done it,” Brown said. “I’m learning how to slap, but the bases were loaded so I just wanted to swing away.” When the inning ended, the Bulldogs had scored 10 runs and had an 11-3 lead. The Rams scored three runs in the sixth and three in the seventh, but the Bulldogs won it 11-9, clinching a playoff spot in the process. Third baseman Cami Carlisle stopped everything that came at her against South Sevier.”Cami had a great game,” Brown said. There’s still work for the Bulldogs as they head to state, according to coach Allred. “We’ll keep practicing hard, get our fundamentals down and make sure we know what we’re doing out there,” Allred said. “We want to be ready for every situation that comes along.” Do Your Best is sponsored by: Peterson Refrigeration and Mechanical 550 South Main, Gunnison • 528-3365 Gunnison Valley Swimming Pool Exercise Hours Monday-Friday 6-9:30 AM Tuesday & Thursday 7-8 PM Open Swim 3:30-7:30 Mon-Wed-Fri 3:30-7:00 Tuesday & Thursday Noon-7 PM Saturday BODY BARN 62 South Main Gunnison 435-528-5955 Mon - Sat 5 am - 10 pm Closed Sundays MEMBERSHIP PRICES Single Adult 19 & Older 16 - 18 year old 13 - 15 year old Couples Family (4) 62 & older Adult Day Usage 18 & Younger Day Usage Monthly $25 $15 $10 $40 $50 $15 $4 $2 Yearly $200 $150 $100 $350 $500 $150