With three straight wins, Bulldogs move to No. 1 in 2A rankings
Matt Harris
Staff writer
3-30-2017
GUNNISON—Whatever the San Juan Broncos did to set off Drew Hill, they regretted it immediately.
The star senior from Gunnison slammed home the winner against San Juan in the first game of a doubleheader against the Broncos, part of a sweep for the Bulldogs as they won both games, 10-2 and 2-0, last weekend following their win over North Sanpete on Tuesday, March 21.
“I’m proud of the guys,” Gunnison head coach Jared Anderson said. “I told them all week we were planning on winning two games against San Juan. Getting two region wins is a big start in a very tough region.”
The Bulldogs were already enjoying a 2-0 lead after two innings in their first game versus the Broncos. Extraordinary pitching from Hill and sophomore Parx Bartholomew kept the Broncos off the scoreboard.
Then, when Hill came to bat with bases loaded, he delivered a solid grand slam over the fence to net four RBIs and put the Bulldogs ahead 6-0.
Gunnison scored twice more in the inning to bring it to 8-0.
From there, the Bulldogs cruised to the finish line as their pitching prowess kept them ahead. Hill and Bartholomew combined for 11 strikeouts and allowed only three hits all game long. Hill was credited with the win.
The second contest turned out much slower on offense for both teams, but senior Jaden Mayne delivered a phenomenal performance from the mound with 12 strikeouts, only allowing a single hit in the shutout win.
The wins for Gunnison followed another won a few earlier against North Sanpete that ultimately went the way of the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs did just enough in the first few innings of the low-scoring game to preserve victory, 4-2. The game had been scheduled to be played at Gunnison’s home field, but was moved to Richfield due to poor field conditions.
“It was a great game to get us tuned up for our region,” coach Jared Anderson said.
Gunnison managed seven hits on the game, with the highlight coming from a double from senior Gage Mogle, who also got the win at the mound taking the majority of pitching duties, delivering four strikeouts with only one hit.
Gunnison got their work done early, leading 4-0 after three innings. Mogle led from the plate with two hits and an RBI, and also scoring a run.
In the top of the fifth, the Hawks finally got on the board with a run. They would score again at the top of the sixth inning, but that was as close as they would get as stellar defensive effort, particularly senior Drew Hill’s fantastic fielding, sealed the game in the Bulldogs’ favor. Hill was perfect with eight putouts on eight chances,
The win moved Gunnison’s record to 8-1 on the season, while North Sanpete slipped to 3-4.
Gunnison now holds a 2-0 record in region play with a 10-1 overall record. Deseret News bumped up the Bulldogs to No. 1 in state 2A rankings, overtaking Grand. MaxPreps.com lists Gunnison as the No. 11 team in Utah.
The Bulldogs traveled to face Monticello on Tuesday (results unavailable as of press time) and have a non-region road matchup against American Leadership Academy next week.
