With a playoff game on the line, Dove Creek rose to the challenge on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-6 win over the Nucla Mustangs. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Dove Creek.
Gage Buffington made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run over six innings pitched. Buffington was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs while going 2-for-5.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jonathan Purkat, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-5. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. Liam Hassell was another key contributor, going 2-for-5 with a triple, a run, and an RBI.
Like Dove Creek, Nucla also got a great game from a two-way player: Steele Arnold. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Arnold was also big at the plate, going 2-for-5 with a stolen base and two RBI.
In other batting news, Brycen Rummel made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 5-for-6.
Even though they lost, Nucla kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 17 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Dove Creek's victory bumped their record up to 7-11. As for Nucla, their record now sits at 8-11-1.
The teams didn't have to wait long for a rematch: Dove Creek beat Nucla by a score of 7-6 later that day.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
