OCR Text |
Show Sports Thursday, May 1, 2008 The Gunnison Valley Gazette Page 7 Region Champions! by ANDY HILL It was almost one year ago when the Bulldogs were looking for the Region Twelve Championship on their way to the state title. Fast forward to this week and they were in an almost identical spot. Two region wins, over Manti and South Sevier, would hand them their second straight region title, and a number one seed heading into the state playoffs. It was the perfect spot that the Dogs would like to be in. Tuesday found the team in Manti to face the Templars, a team that they had beat rather easily at the first of the season. As the game started, it was clear that the bats for the Bulldogs were alive, and they quickly jumped out to a 9-0 lead early on. From there the Templars tried to battle back, but it was to no avail. On a day where seven Bulldog hitters had at least two hits, and the team had a total of 21 hits, they were sure to gain the victory. When the dust cleared, the final score was 19-6 for the Dogs. Offensively it was an all around effort, lead by Kevin Nay and Max Sanders who had four hits apiece. Heston Neal and Brad Jackson had three hits, while Bryant Davis and Taylor Newman added two hits each. From the mound it was a solid effort from Brad Jackson who pitched six strong innings, striking out 11 while allowing only five hits. On Wednesday the Emery Spartans, a 3A school from Castle Dale, drove over the mountain to face the Bulldogs in the non-region match-up. The Spartans were looking to upset the Bulldogs on their home field, but from the beginning this game was dominated from the mound by Shawn Gubeli and the Bulldog defense. Shawn picked up the win, pitching six strong innings, allowing only two runs, while scattering nine hits. From the plate Kevin Nay, Heston Neal, and Tyler “Big T” Jensen each had two hits and combined for four (4) RBIs on the day. It was a day when the Dog played an all around great game and come out victorious again. Friday was again the big day of the week. This was the chance for the Bulldogs to win the Region Twelve Championship and secure home field for the first round of the playoffs. It was the perfect spot for the Dogs, and they were there. South Sevier jumped out in the first inning and went ahead 1-0 after the top of the first on a series of hits. But from there, the game went by quickly, with not much action. It was not until the fourth that the Bulldogs battled back to tie the game at 1-1. For the Bulldogs, Kevin Nay held the game tight with another tremendous pitching performance from the mound. But unfortunately for the Dogs, the Rams pitcher also had a great game going, and you could feel that this was going to come down to the wire. In the bottom of the seventh, Jaden Hill led off with a solid single to right. After a fielder choice and a stolen base, Heston Neal found himself on second base with one out in the Courtesy Photo/Stacey Reid Junior Dillon Bown. Tennis team anxious for region tournament by DOUG AGREN Larry Childs/Gunnison Valley Gazette Shawn Gubeli on the mound. Top: Region champs. inning. Brad Jackson then calmly stepped to the plate and hit a ground rule double that scored the winning run. This run not only capped off the game, but wrapped up the Region Twelve Championship. The Bulldogs will travel to Salt Lake to take on the Park City Miners on Wednesday. On Saturday they will host the first round of the playoffs. Game time and opponents for the playoffs are still being determined. The tennis team had another impressive week with easy wins over Wasatch Academy and Richfield. Both matches ended with identical scores of 4-1. Jeremy Reid won 6-2, 6-0 over Daniel Hiebel. Eric Rosenvall won a tight three set match coming back from a first set loss to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Dillon Bown beat Dean Weng 6-0, 6-1. In first doubles, Jarom Christensen and Jake Hansen won 6-1, 6-0 over Josh Hveem and Chris Sumsion, and finally Ethan Niel and Conner Ashton lost a heart breaker in the third set going down 2-6, 6-4, 5-7. Against Richfield, Reid beat Kendrick Adams 6-2, 6-0. Rosenvall beat Jordan Garcia 6-4, 6-1 and Bown beat Matt Curtis 6-2, 6-1. Christensen and Hansen took three sets to beat Michael Chamberlain and Ryan Anderson 2-6, 6-2, 6-3. And Neil and Ashton lost 6-2, 7-5. Region playoffs start at 8:30 a.m. on Friday in Richfield. The doubles teams will be playing in South Sevier due to the number of courts needed to hold the tournament. The top five finishers in each division will play the following weekend in Salt Lake City for the state championships. Looking at the standings, Manti has a slight edge going into Fridays contest, but if each player plays to his potential Gunnison could pull off the upset. Selling it Yourself? Let us Help! Place a Classified Ad for as little as $6 per week. Add a picture for only $5 more. You can reach over 800 households weekly! Call Mark at 528-5178 HEAP WEEK of the Kolton Crane This week’s Heap of the Week goes to Kolton “The Crash” Crane. Kolton drives a ‘80 something Chevy Astro Van Ext. “It’s crash proof.” HEAP of the WEEK Is Sponsored by: Lotsa Motsa Sports Calendar Boys Baseball Sat May 3 Quarter-finals @ Region Sites Thur-Sat May 8-10 State Play-offs @ UVSC Boys Soccer Sat May 3 Quarter-finals @ Home Sites Fri May 2 Fri May 2 Track Gunnison @ BYU 8 am Tennis Gunnison @ Manti (Region) Pizza • Calzone Breadsticks • Salad Free Delivery (Limited Area) 528-3792 57 South Main • Gunnison Happy to Serve You |