Bulldogs Enter First Week of Games Shorthanded

The Hampton-Dumont-CAL Bulldogs return to the baseball diamond after a 23-9 season that ended in a first round exit from the class 3A district tournament the year before. The Bulldogs must replace some key players to their success the season before. A younger core of players has emerged and will look to fill the shoes of the graduated players. The overlap of spring sports and summer sports in Iowa can make the first week of baseball difficult for coaches and players. The Bulldog baseball team will be missing state track runners and the golfers would be stretched thin from competing in both sports.

The Bulldog baseball team kicked off their season with a trip to Boone against the Toreadors.  An RBI single from Tommy Birdsell got the Bulldogs on the board in the first inning. The Toreador hitters found their bats in the second inning though, and scored nine runs. The Bulldogs would not be able to dig themselves out of the second-inning hole and dropped the season opener 10-3. Birdsell led the Bulldogs at the plate with a hit, 2 runs batted in and a run scored. Braden Johnson and Jaxon Moats took the pitching duties for the Bulldogs.  Johnson went 3 ⅓ innings with three strikeouts while allowing six hits and eight walks. Moats walked two batters with seven strikeouts and allowed no hits in his 2 ⅔ innings.

Tuesday the Bulldogs traveled to Waterloo to play the Fort Dodge Dodgers at the Waterloo Bucks’ stadium.  The Bulldogs would again be plagued by one bad inning, as the Dodgers scored six runs in the bottom of the third.  The Bulldogs answered with three runs in the fifth, but were not able to catch up to the Dodgers and dropped the game 8-4.  Senior Will Sackville led the Bulldogs at the plate going 2-for-3 with two triples, three RBIs and a run.  Birdsell and Austin Hanson pitched for the Bulldogs, with Birdsell  throwing 4 ⅓ innings with five strikeouts and five walks, and Hanson finishing the game, throwing 1 ⅔ innings with two strikeouts.  

Thursday would be the home opener for the Bulldogs as they took on the Roland-Story Norsemen.  The Bulldogs jumped on the bats right away in the first inning, scoring three runs.  Sackville again led the Bulldogs in hitting, going 1-for-3 with a two-run double in the first.  The Norsemen rallied in the second inning, however,  scoring four runs in the top of the second.  That would be all the Norse needed to pick up the victory, as neither team could push a run across for the remainder of the game.  Dawson Wikert was on the mound to start for the Bulldogs with Tucker Heeren coming in relief.  Wikert went four innings with five strikeouts and three walks. Wikert for his part only gave up one earned run on four hits.  Heeren came in relief, throwing three scoreless innings with five strikeouts.  

The Bulldogs end their first week with an 0-3 record, but Coach Lokenvitz is preaching to his team that the season is long and they are capable of having a successful season.  

“We wanted to get out early in the season and play some tougher competition early in the year,” he said. “ We will start to shift gears and prepare for conference play as Humboldt comes to Hampton next week.”  

The Bulldogs will return to full strength next week when they head to Mason City Monday. Tuesday they host South Hamilton and Friday they kick off conference play against Humboldt at home.