Bulldogs third baseman Mario De La Cruz takes a throw down from catcher Benji Sauke to try and catch Joey Busse stealing in the opening inning. (Kristi Nixon/Hampton Chronicle)

HAMPTON – Top to bottom, start to finish, this North Central Conference baseball battle between Humboldt and the Bulldogs was a wild one.

The Wildcats and Bulldogs traded lead changes five times, it was tied once, the tying run was 90 feet away in the top of the seventh and it ended with some controversy as the Bulldogs pulled out a 10-9 victory to earn their first win of the season on Monday, June 3.

“I thought we played really well against St. Ansgar,” Bulldog coach Matt Lokenvitz said. “But then, we lost at the end. I knew we were turning that corner to be a better team, so it was good to come out and get a win and proving to the guys that we can win. ‘You can do this and win these types of games.’ Still some stuff to work, walked too many guys, still had too many errors, too many looking strikeouts, but it’s a win.”

The full story appears in the June 12 print and online editions of the Hampton Chronicle.