This spring has seen plenty of highs and lows for Dove Creek High School baseball.
The Bulldogs hope their most recent display is a sign of things to come.
Dove Creek charged up its bats for a home-and-home series against Monticello, knocking off the Buckaroos in Utah 10-8 before returning home six days later with a 19-3 shellacking of their border rival.
With the wins, Dove Creek wraps up the regular season with a 9-8 record, squarely in a playoff spot, courtesy of a strong RPI that will place them among the 16 qualifiers for the 1A tournament.
Head coach Trent Daves’ squad leaned on a balanced attack, with seven Bulldogs collecting hits in their 10-8 win April 26. Junior Kendall Gardner led the way with three knocks, as the Bulldogs scored in the opening frame and never trailed in the tight contest. Freshman Sheldon Gardner added a pair of RBIs in support of starting pitcher Cole Taber.
The junior struck out six Bucks in the contest in four innings before handing the ball to sophomore Jonathan Purkat and senior Preston Spigner to close the door on a Monticello (0-16) rally. The Bulldogs scored at least one run in six of their seven trips to the plate, including four runs in the second inning to keep the hosts at arm’s length.
Monticello rallied with three in the sixth and another in the seventh, but the Bulldogs defense carried them across the finish line for the win.
Their second meeting involved far less drama.
Dove Creek took the contest by the horns in the opening inning, pushing across seven runs. Even with a brief Buckaroo response in the second inning to close the gap to 7-3, Dove Creek continued the onslaught in the third, pouring across four more runs.
Their eight-run fourth inning ended the contest via the mercy rule, giving the Bulldogs a surge of confidence heading into the regional round of the state tournament. As if their balance in their first meeting wasn’t enough, the Bulldogs topped the effort on their home field, with all 11 batters who stepped into the box reaching base at least once, and every single one scoring at least one run.
Purkat, along with senior Blane Johnson, drove in three runs apiece, while junior Audric Chadd punched across a pair of runs. Sophomore Hunter Daves and Taber split work on the mound for the Bulldogs, each pitching a pair of innings, as the duo combined to strike out seven batters.
Dove Creek will now await their regional assignment, with regional play beginning later this month. The Bulldogs aim for another postseason run much like they enjoyed in 2021, when they advanced to the quarterfinal round.
