It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact Nucla can now relate to. They fell just short of the Dove Creek Bulldogs by a score of 7-6 on Friday. Nucla was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as Dove Creek apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played two weeks ago.
Steele Arnold put in work no matter where he played. 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.
Like Nucla, Dove Creek also got a great game from a two-way player: Gage Buffington. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing 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, Jonathan Purkat was excellent, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-5. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stolen at least one in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Liam Hassell, who went 2-for-5 with a triple, a run, and an RBI.
Nucla's defeat dropped their record down to 8-11-1. As for Dove Creek, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 7-11.
The teams didn't have to wait long for a rematch: they beat Nucla by a score of 7-6 later that day.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
