Six innings into an April 12 road matchup with Ignacio High School, the Dolores High School baseball team appeared headed toward another disappointing defeat.
Never giving up hope however, the Bears mounted a rousing comeback, scoring seven runs over the final two innings in route to an 11-10 victory.
Early on in the early afternoon contest, things did not look good for the Bears as starting pitcher Kellen Gatzke was tagged for one run in the first inning and four runs in the second.
Behind 5-1 and searching for answers, the Bears briefly got things going in the fourth inning, scoring three runs to cut the Ignacio lead to one run.
An Ignacio run in the bottom of the fourth followed by two runs in the fifth and sixth inning put Dolores in dire straits however, as the Bears entered the seventh inning trailing 10-4.
Dolores batters came through in a big way however, scoring four runs with two outs in the inning after Gatzke and Evan Moore both tagged two run doubles to the outfield.
"I don't know why we have to wait until the end of the game to get fired up," said Bears' manager Rusty Hamilton. "We need to start games like we finish games."
Still needing to hold Ignacio in check during the bottom of the seventh inning, Gatzke came up huge, forcing Igancio into three quick outs.
The Bears finally took the lead in the top of the eighth inning after Gatzke doubled, allowing Deano Valdez to score from first base.
With the score favoring Dolores 11-10 entering the bottom of the eighth inning, varsity newcomer Mikeal Ford came up big with a diving catch in right center field to preserve the victory.
In addition to his stellar work in the field, Ford enjoyed a solid day at the plate with two hits and one run scored.
Complementing Ford was Drew Morgan, who went three for three at the plate and drove in five runs. Gatzke added four RBIs for the Bears.
With their record now at 4-5 on the season, the Bears will look to continue playing inspired baseball in Dove Creek on April 24.
"Getting a league win was a big deal," said Hamilton. "Now we just need to keep working and improving."
