Bulldogs fall short to Eagles in 15th Regional Baseball Championship

By Braxton Davis

PRESTONSBURG - The Bulldogs traveled to Prestonsburg on Thursday, May 29, to compete in the 15th Region Championship. The Dawgs were taking on Johnson Central in the championship. The Bulldogs had played Johnson Central three times in their regular season, and came up short all three games. But in the one that mattered most, the Dawgs fell short once again in a 5-2 ballgame.

Senior Eli Fletcher tossed a solid game for the Bulldogs going 6 ⅓ Innings, with 3 K’s and just 2 Earned Runs. Derifield continued his hot streak at the plate with a great offensive performance of 3/3 with a triple and one run scored.

The Dawgs took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third with a 2 RBI single from Tyger Cavins, but the Eagles bounced right back with a response in the top of the fifth by regaining the lead 3-2. The Eagles went on to win the contest 5-2 by a strong push from their whole lineup. The Eagles had 8 Hits in the game, with Brayden Shepherd and Braxton Perry leading the way with two hits each, Chase Preece, Alex Marcum and Dalton Boner also contributed.

The Bulldogs had a strong tournament with two great wins in the earlier rounds. The Dawgs defeated Paintsville 2-1 in Round 1 and beat Pikeville 3-2 in the Semi-finals. Freshman Gray Derifield, Senior Tyger Cavins, and Senior Eli Fletcher took home 15th Region All Tournament Team Honors.

This game concludes a great overall season by the Bulldogs. The Dawgs ended the season with a 23-11 record, a District Title, and a Region Runner-up.

Johnson Central will play Spencer County in the opening round of the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Baseball State Tournament on Friday, June 6, at 8:30 p.m., at Kentucky Proud Park.