Baseball

Bulldogs drop pair of close ones in Myrtle Beach

MYRTLE BEACH SC — The Livonia Bulldogs would fall behind 8-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth only to score four runs to make the game tight as they fell 8-6 to Johnsonville (SC) in their first game at the Mingo Bay Tournament in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Senior Austin Gieseke would single with the bases loaded to make the score 8-6 but the Bulldogs would not score again.

Sophomore pitcher Matt Feldman kept the Bulldogs in it as he would pitch 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief allowing just two runs with four K’s and no walks.

“Matt kept it close and gave us a shot to win the game,” said Livonia coach Scott Gilman.

Sophomore Alex Abrey would start and toss 4 1/3 innings allowing 11 hits striking out one and walking two.

“Both sophomore pitchers threw strikes,” said coach Gilman. “They know they are not going to blow people away, they have to pitch to contact in which they did. I was happy with their performances.”

Sophomore Mike English would walk three times and score two runs while Gieseke finished 1-4 with two RBIs. Kade O’Leary was 1-3 with a run scored.

“A lot of our hitters are struggling right now, but this will get better with more repetitions,” said Gilman.

Frontier 4, Livonia 3

Livonia dropped their second straight game at the Mingo Bay Tournament Tuesday as they fell to ‘AA’ Frontier (Sec. VI).

Zack Kolodziejski pitched a solid game for the Bulldogs as he went six innings allowing four hits with two K’s and two walks. He threw just 78 pitches.

Livonia led 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth. After getting the first two outs to start the inning, Kolodziejski walked the lead-off hitter, then hit the No. 2 hitter, and a passed ball put runners on second and third with two outs.

But a two-run single by Frontier’s No. 3 hitter would put the Bulldogs in a 3-2 hole.

Livonia would tie the game up in the top of the sixth after Kade O’Leary walked and moved to second on a sac-bunt by pinch-hitter David Maginn.

Later in the inning Alex Davis’s grounder to shortstop was mishandled plating O’Leary with the tying run.

Frontier would take the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth when a lead-off double eventually led to a suicide squeeze bunt that put the Buffalo-team up 4-3.

Mitch Rathbun led Livonia at the plate going 2-3 with one RBI. The sophomore Kolodziejski also went 2-3 while O’Leary walked three times and scored twice.

“This game we did a lot of good things, however the key was our baserunning was poor today,” said Livonia coach Scott Gilman. “Our inexperience showed up today and we ran ourselves out of a few innings. But, to stay tight with a big school district like Frontier is a credit to our kids.”

Livonia will take on Green Briar Christian Academy (Va.) Wednesday.