Dawgs baseball defeat Wolves, 5-3

By BEN PETET

Cove Leader-Press 

Tuesday evening the Copperas Cove baseball team defeated the Pflugerville Weiss baseball team in a weather shortened game 5-3. 

With the Dawgs batting in the bottom of the fifth inning, lightning strikes began causing the game to be delayed and the teams and fans to leave Bulldawg Field. There is a 30-minute delay required after each strike with the clock resetting when another lightning strike occurs. The teams were trying to wait out the storm to finish the game but decided to call the game a little after 11pm declaring the Dawgs the winner.

The Weiss Wolves started the game by scoring two runs on bases loaded walks. The Dawgs starting pitcher Matai Anzulda had some control issues in the inning pitching from the stretch with runners on base. Anzulda issued a bases-loaded walk to Jordan Benjamin allowing Jessie Hernandez to score and then again to Riley Shellenberger allowing Kevin Bautista to score. Anzulda struck out Tyler Fulford with the bases loaded to end the top half of the first inning. The Dawgs loaded the bases in the home half of the first inning against Wolves starting pitcher Kaedin Bankhead but were unable to score a run ending the first inning with the score 2-0 for Weiss.

Anzulda had his control back in the second inning pitching from the windup and had a 1-2-3 inning. The Dawgs could not get anything going in the home half of the second inning against Bankhead keeping the score at 2-0 for Weiss.

In the top of the third inning, Bautista had a lead off with a single and scored on a fielder’s choice hit by Bankhead increasing the Wolves lead to 3-0. In the home half of the third inning, Gavon White was hit by the pitch to start things off for the Dawgs. 

White stole second base and Caden Harris followed that with a walk, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Manuel Chaco had a single to load the bases bringing Anzulda to the plate. Anzulda laced a sharp single to left center bringing home White and Harris with his 2 RBI hit. Bankhead got Blain Butler to hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat and keep the score at 3-2 Weiss after three innings.

In the top of the fourth inning Anzulda worked around a walk to keep the Wolves off the scoreboard. In the home half of the fourth Bankhead had some control issues walking Micah Casson and Dominick Vasquez. Coach Lavalle brought in relief pitcher Thomas Botkin who issued a hit by pitch to Zach Wilson to load the bases. Daniel Izquierdo came to the plate and hit a 2 RBI double to the left center gap giving the Dawgs their first lead of the night. Harris had a RBI ground out to short to plate Wilson and give the Dawgs a 5-3 lead after four innings.

In the top of the fifth inning, Hernandez had a lead-off double followed by a walk to Bautista. White came in to relieve Anzulda and got Bankhead to hit into a 4-6-3 double play with Hernandez moving to third base. White got Bryson Bottom to strike out to end the top half of the inning without allowing any runs. The lightening came and the game ended as a shortened complete game victory for the Dawgs.

With the win, the Dawgs move into fourth place in the district. Friday night the Dawgs will be hosting the first place Waco Midway Panthers at Bulldawg field. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start time.