It was a cold Tuesday night at Bulldog Field when the Varsity Bulldogs took on the Goblins from Harrison.
The Bulldogs were coming off a roller coaster of a week. Early morning rains on Tuesday pushed the doubleheader against Van Buren to Thursday night. Game one the Bulldogs won 3-2, the big story of the night was the 8-2 comeback the Bulldogs mounted. Going into the bottom of the fifth inning Greenwood was facing a 6-point deficit when the bats came alive and the Bulldogs ripped off six runs to tie the game. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Junior Jaxon Cole was able to send a line drive between the second and third base path allowing classmate Grant Karnes to come home and win the game for Greenwood 9-8.
The following night the Bulldogs were on the road against Rogers, where the Bulldogs fell to the Mounties 5-0. Greenwood had a quick turnaround as they faced the visiting Harrison Goblins just three days later.
Game one of the doubleheader went into the 8th inning as both teams could not get a runner to cross the plate. Wichita State commit Grant Karnes was on the mound for the Bulldogs and recorded 11 strike outs in the 1-0 win. The winning run came off a hit from Freshman Ty Holt to left field, Austin Bercher scored the lone run winning the game for the Bulldogs. Austin Mitchell got the win on the mound after coming in for Karnes in the top of the 8th inning. Greenwood was able to scatter seven hits throughout the game, with Seniors Brady Pettigrew and Austin Bercher getting a hit each. Juniors Grant Karnes and Zak Zitsman added a hit a piece, while classmate Scott Holland got two hits.
Game two of the night saw an action packed first inning. Harrison’s time at bat in the first inning was short, with only one batter making it on base after being walked. The next three batters would not get to first base after a sequence of a bunt, a pop fly and the first of nine Junior Mason Moore strikeouts. Senior Braden Skaggs hits a ground ball, but an error by the first baseman keeps him on first. A foul by the pitcher has Skaggs advancing to second, batter Ty Holt is then walked. A wild pitch advances Skaggs to third, and courtesy runner Scott Holland to second. Grant Karnes hit a single to the shortstop, allowing Skaggs to score the first point of the second game. Senior Brady Pettigrew hits towards the shortstop and he commits an error for the Goblins, allowing the Bulldogs to load the bases with Jaxon Cole up to bat. A sacrifice fly from Cole allowed Scott Holland to score, putting runners on 2nd and 3rd. Senior Austin Mitchell is walked during his at bat loading the bases once again. Designated Hitter Junior Zak Zitsmann in for Mason Moore, hits ground ball, Grant Karnes is tagged out at home.
The next batter Austin Bercher is walked, allowing Pettigrew to make it across the plate to make the score 3-0. Next Bulldog batter Sophomore Brady Morgan is walked allowing two more runners to make their way across the plate pushing the score to 5-0. The Bulldogs were able to cycle through their own batting lineup in the inning, Skaggs made it back on base with a walk. From there it was all Bulldogs. as the Bulldogs would set the tone for the game. To finish the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, Brady Pettigrew sends a line drive to the Center Fielder allowing Grant Karnes to score the 10th and final run for Greenwood. Winning pitcher Mason Moore allowed two hits with nine strikeouts in the five-inning game. After the first two innings that saw a 7-0 score, the Bulldogs only had one hit at the time. Batters Braden Skaggs, Grant Karnes, Brady Pettigrew, Jaxon Cole, Zak Zitsmann, and Brady Morgan all had one hit. Harrison’s two hits while committing five errors made it a long night for the Goblins.
“The first game it was not ideal conditions to be at the plate, cold and windy. But, we’ve got to bear down and be tougher mentally.” Second Year Head Coach Brandon Brewer said following the game. “The second game we talked about, putting pressure on them and doing a better job of valuing first base.”
In the first inning, the Bulldogs went through their batting order that ended the inning with the second batter Ty Holts second time at the plate. On the mound, the starter for Harrison was replaced after the eleventh batter for Greenwood. “We talked about getting to the Bullpen, that was good to see in the first inning. That’s a downer for a team that’s just lost in extra innings.” Coach Brewer said.
Greenwood is now sitting at 12-4 overall and 5-1 in the 5A West. The Bulldogs will head to Fort Smith on Saturday to play the Southside Mavericks at Evans Boys and Girls Club. The first pitch is scheduled for noon. The Mavericks are 7-11 Overall after their Tuesday night win over Subiaco Academy 15-0.
