The Howe Bulldogs opened the week with the first home game which resulted in a confidence building pitching duel with Whitesboro. Howe senior third baseman Dylan Hughs hit a 2-run walk-off game-winning single in the bottom of the seventh inning to give Howe their first win of the season.
Sophomore Austin Haley got the start on the mound and was about as dominating as one could get by going four solid innings, allowing two hits, no earned runs and no walks while striking out six hitters. The Bearcats’ lone run came in the top of the third inning when a ball kicked off the glove of the Howe second baseman. But a grounder to Hughs ended the inning to end the threat.
Senior Brett Burnett relieved Haley in the top of the fifth inning and immediately gave up a double. However, he settled in and got a strikeout, a fly out, and a line out to end the fifth. Things got hairy for Howe in the top of the sixth another error and a walk put two runners on with no outs. The game turned from possible disaster when Burnett went from a 3-0 count to come back and get Whitesboro’s Griffith to strikeout looking. A batter later, Nageatand singled past Haley at shortstop to load the bases. This caused Howe Head Coach Ryan Moreau to go to Parker Pecina in relief who pounded the strike zone with heavy fastballs and struck out the remaining two hitters to get Howe out of the bases loaded jam.
In the top of the seventh inning, Pecina gave up a single and a walk with one out before seeing a double ripped to center. But a laser beam throw to the plate cut down the runner at the plate for the second out. A ground out to Hughs a batter later ended the inning as Howe trailed 1-0 heading to the final frame.
At the plate, Howe struggled all night. The Dogs had a chance to score early in the game, but pinch runner Jordan Jones was picked off at third base in the second inning. Howe had a threat in the sixth inning by opening with a single by Pecina and a walk by Hughs, but a fly out and two strikeouts left the runners stranded.
Whitesboro changed pitchers for the bottom of the seventh and the wildness of Smith was capitalized on by Howe. After a pop out by Kaleb McNutt in the bottom of the seventh inning, the rally began with a walk, as most do. Caleb Searcey’s walk was followed by back-to-back hit by pitches on Ethan and Luke Lopez, respectively. With one out and the bases loaded, Pecina thought he had drawn a walk and started towards first base. Searcey at third followed suit and began to trot towards home to tie the game, however, a late strike call by the home plate umpire caught Searcey in a run down between third and home which eventually led to him being tagged out 20 feet from the plate. Pecina, a pitch later, eventually walked to again load the bases for Hughs. On a 3-2 count with runners on the move, Hughs smashed a hard grounder through short and third which scored both Lopez brothers for the 2-1 win. Hughs was “dog piled” at first base as Howe captured the dramatic come-from-behind win for their first entrance into the win column on the young season.
“This feels good. We’ve been close a couple of times so this definitely feels good,” said Howe skipper Moreau who said he feels like his Bulldogs are poised to get on a roll.
