After a tough start, the Dove Creek High School baseball team was dominant.

A rough first two innings doomed the Bulldogs however, as the team lost to Nucla High School, 8-7, on April 11.

Struggling early to find their rhythm early on, the Bulldogs fell behind early, yielding three runs in each of the first two innings to fall behind 6-0.

Key to Dove Creek’s early struggles was the inability of starting pitcher Colin Hobbs to find the strike zone.

Although Hobbs allowed only six hits over the course of his six innings pitched, the sophomore walked five Nucla batters.

Meanwhile, the Dove Creek offense was inconsistent, scoring two runs in the third inning and on run in the fifth inning.

Finally waking up in the final inning however, the Bulldogs came scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, pulling within one run before registering their final out.

Enjoying an especially solid day at the plate for the Bulldogs was Kyle Schultz, who recorded two hits in two at bats and drove in two runs.

With their record now at 2-8 on the season, the Bulldogs will next play at home against Shiprock on April 14.