The Becker Bulldog boys baseball team captured two wins in three games this week to improve to 3-2.

 

Monday, the Dogs hosted the Princeton Tigers and came away with a seven-run win.

 

John Mann started the game on the mound for the Bulldogs and was the winning pitcher, going 4-1/3 innings, giving up two runs on three hits.

 

Kendal Hanson threw the final 2-2/3 innings, allowing no runs on no hits and four strikeouts. 

 

Becker scored one run in the first, three more in the second, two more in the fifth and closed out the scoring with three more in the sixth.  

 

The Bulldogs where led on offense by Beau Pauly, who went 3-for-4.  Three other Bulldogs went 2-for-4 including  Clayton Gallus,  Cody Gruenhagen and Andrew Stanger.

 

Tuesday, the Bulldogs traveled to Albany for a conference match up and came away with an impressive, five-run win.  

 

Becker started the game scoring with three runs in the first inning when Gruenhagen came to the plate with two on. He hit a monstrous blast to right centerfield to bring home Gallus and Stanger who both reached bases on hits.

 

The Bulldogs scored three more runs in the second, one in the sixth and two more in the seventh.  

 

Casey Vesledahl started his first game of the season on the mound after injuring his shoulder in the state wrestling tournament. He went 2-1/3 innings, giving up four runs on only two hits.  Stanger came on and pitched the final 4-2/3 innings, giving up three hits, no runs and recording six strikeouts.  

 

Gruenhagen was the leading Bulldog hitter, going 2-for-4 with the big home run and one double.  Stanger was 1-for-2, but reached base three other times own walks and scored three times.   

 

Thursday, Becker hosted the defending state champion St. Cloud Cathedral Crusaders and suffered their second loss of the season by one run.  

 

Unfortunately for the home team, the game ended with the tying run on third and the winning run at first.   

 

Cathedral started the scoring in the top of the first, scoring two runs off Becker starter Gruenhagen, who went the distance and took the loss.  

 

The Bulldogs came back with one run in their half of the inning to make it 2-1.  

 

They then took the lead in the second inning, scoring two  runs.  

 

Cathedral came back in the third with two runs to capture the lead again, but only for a short time as the home team score one run in the bottom half of the third to tie the game at four.  

 

 

Heading into the last half inning of the game and down by three runs, the Bulldogs didn’t quit as they put the pressure on the Crusaders by scoring two runs and almost pulling out a dramatic win.  

 

“As a coach, that is what is so nice being around these young men,” said Head Coach Chuck Stanger. “They never quit.”  

 

Gruenhagen led the offense with three doubles.     

 

Another busy week coming up for the boys as Tuesday, they   host the St. Cloud Tech Tigers  at 5 p.m. then hit the road to Foley Thursday to Hutchinson Friday.