Bulls Lose A Tough One To Okotoks
One of the best baseball movies ever has the be "The Natural" starring Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs. The story of a aging rookie who joins a last place team (the New York Knights) and takes them to the World Series.
Just after Hobbs joins the team there's a sequence in the movie where the Knights blow a late inning lead and the team's radio announcer exclaims in frustration:"And the Knights can do nothing right no matter what they try!".
After Saturday's game at Spitz Stadium, a variation on the movie phrase could be used to sum up a tough loss. "The Bulls can't seem to beat Okotoks no matter how hard they try!".
The Dawgs came away with a 3-2 win in twelve innings, in a game that saw the teams combine to use nine pitchers. Home runs, tremendous catches in the outfield, and solid pitching were all part the extra inning thriller.
Designated hitter Brendan Miller gave the Bulls a 1-0 lead in the second inning with a solo home run. Okotoks tied the game with a run in the fifth, then took a 2-1 lead in the sixth on a home run by Marshall MacDonald off Bulls starter Alex Tufts.
The Dawgs held on to the one run lead until the bottom of the ninth, when catcher Joel Blake got a two out base hit to drive home pinch runner Jamie Mitchell with the tying run.
The teams went to extra innings, with the Bulls coming excruciatingly close to winning it in the bottom of the eleventh. Jesse Sawyer stroked a one out single to left field. Mitchell struck out, but Sawyer advanced to third on a couple of passed balls. Ken Fuglerud, who had entered the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth, walked. And that set the stage for Blake, who had a tremendous game both at the plate and behind it. He hammered a low liner to right field. But the Dawgs Anthony Cros came on hard and made a diving catch to end the inning.
Cros lead off the twelfth with a walk and scored the winning run on an infield hit by Manny Kumar. Ryan MacDonald walked in the bottom of the twelfth. But he became the finally out of the game when he was doubled off first after Eric Dorton hit a fly ball to Okotoks centerfielder Jeremy Shelby. It was pay back for Shelby, who was robbed of a home run in the second, when MacDonald made leaping catch up against the left field fence.
Jared Mortenson, the fifth Bulls pitcher on the night, was tagged with the loss. Tufts went six innings, allowed two runs on seven hits, had five strikeouts, and walked two. Ariel Perez pitched the seventh, Richard Pharr the eighth, Steve Hogue the ninth and tenth, followed by Mortenson in the eleventh. After he walked the first two batters in the twelfth Mortenson gave way to Jimmy Munnil.
Blake was 3 for 5 with a double and an RBI. Miller was 2 for 5 with a home run and two runs scored.
The loss gives the Bulls a record to 20 and 15, while Okotoks moves to 25 and 10. The teams meet five more times in the next ten days, including Sunday afternoon in Okotoks.
The Bulls next home game is Monday night (July 20). It's an exhibition contest against Team Alberta, the squad that will represent the province in the Canada Games next month. It's also "Strike Out Hunger Night". Fans who bring a non-perishable food item to the game will be admitted for just two dollars. All the items collected will be donated to the Interfaith Food Bank. Game time is 7:05.
Just after Hobbs joins the team there's a sequence in the movie where the Knights blow a late inning lead and the team's radio announcer exclaims in frustration:"And the Knights can do nothing right no matter what they try!".
After Saturday's game at Spitz Stadium, a variation on the movie phrase could be used to sum up a tough loss. "The Bulls can't seem to beat Okotoks no matter how hard they try!".
The Dawgs came away with a 3-2 win in twelve innings, in a game that saw the teams combine to use nine pitchers. Home runs, tremendous catches in the outfield, and solid pitching were all part the extra inning thriller.
Designated hitter Brendan Miller gave the Bulls a 1-0 lead in the second inning with a solo home run. Okotoks tied the game with a run in the fifth, then took a 2-1 lead in the sixth on a home run by Marshall MacDonald off Bulls starter Alex Tufts.
The Dawgs held on to the one run lead until the bottom of the ninth, when catcher Joel Blake got a two out base hit to drive home pinch runner Jamie Mitchell with the tying run.
The teams went to extra innings, with the Bulls coming excruciatingly close to winning it in the bottom of the eleventh. Jesse Sawyer stroked a one out single to left field. Mitchell struck out, but Sawyer advanced to third on a couple of passed balls. Ken Fuglerud, who had entered the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth, walked. And that set the stage for Blake, who had a tremendous game both at the plate and behind it. He hammered a low liner to right field. But the Dawgs Anthony Cros came on hard and made a diving catch to end the inning.
Cros lead off the twelfth with a walk and scored the winning run on an infield hit by Manny Kumar. Ryan MacDonald walked in the bottom of the twelfth. But he became the finally out of the game when he was doubled off first after Eric Dorton hit a fly ball to Okotoks centerfielder Jeremy Shelby. It was pay back for Shelby, who was robbed of a home run in the second, when MacDonald made leaping catch up against the left field fence.
Jared Mortenson, the fifth Bulls pitcher on the night, was tagged with the loss. Tufts went six innings, allowed two runs on seven hits, had five strikeouts, and walked two. Ariel Perez pitched the seventh, Richard Pharr the eighth, Steve Hogue the ninth and tenth, followed by Mortenson in the eleventh. After he walked the first two batters in the twelfth Mortenson gave way to Jimmy Munnil.
Blake was 3 for 5 with a double and an RBI. Miller was 2 for 5 with a home run and two runs scored.
The loss gives the Bulls a record to 20 and 15, while Okotoks moves to 25 and 10. The teams meet five more times in the next ten days, including Sunday afternoon in Okotoks.
The Bulls next home game is Monday night (July 20). It's an exhibition contest against Team Alberta, the squad that will represent the province in the Canada Games next month. It's also "Strike Out Hunger Night". Fans who bring a non-perishable food item to the game will be admitted for just two dollars. All the items collected will be donated to the Interfaith Food Bank. Game time is 7:05.
