April 28, 2005

sports

Cary Dixon hitting the ball over the net during a doubles match against Fairborn last Wednesday. Dixon and Alex Turner won their match as the Bulldogs beat Fairborn, 4–1.

Bulldog sports roundup

Compiled by Lauren Heaton

Tennis team wins 8th straight
The YSHS tennis team stayed on a roll over the last week, winning two more matches to extended its winning streak to eight.

Playing in front of a small but supportive home crowd on Wednesday, April 20, the Bulldogs easily beat Fairborn, 4–1, then defeated Southeastern by the same score on Monday, improving to 9–2 this season.

In the win over Fairborn, the Bulldogs gave up very few games. Duncan Silvert-Noftle took his first singles match, 6–2, 6–2, while Jesse Rothman won third singles, 7–5, 6–2. Mori Rothman lost a tight second singles match, 4–6, 2–6, but Scott Keyes and Nick Rittenhouse came through to win first doubles, 6–1, 6–2, followed by a win at second doubles by Carey Dixon and Alex Turner, 6–0, 6–3.

Monday’s match against Southeastern went similarly, except the Bulldogs were even more miserly about giving up games. Silvert-Noftle won his first singles match, 6–1, 6–1, while Dixon wrapped up his second singles match 6–2, 6–0. Keyes and Rittenhouse presented their first doubles victory on a platter, with a double bagel, while Turner and Erin Silvert-Noftle gave up just three games in their 6–1, 6–2 second doubles win.

Last week, the team voted Rittenhouse, who is a senior, the team captain.

Track team finishes fourth
The YSHS boys track team finished fourth at the West Liberty Salem Invitational on Friday, April 22. Though the Bulldogs were shorthanded, with five athletes injured, the team still had three first place finishes and set a new meet record.

For the second meet in a row, Sam Borchers set a meet record, winning the 1600-meter run in 4:38.4. He also won the 3200 in 10:27.8.

David Warren had the Bulldogs’ third first-place victory, taking the 800 meters in 2:07.3.

Brad Benning-Clark placed second in the 300 hurdles in 43:31 and also sprung to six feet to place fourth in the high jump. John Pamplin threw the discus 112 feet nine inches for third place. The 3200 meter relay team (Matt Halm, Warren, Andy Peters and Borchers) finished fourth in 8:54.7. Sixth-place finishes were also put forth by pole vaulter Alban Holyoke, Peters in the 1600, and the 1600 meter relay team (Warren, Benning-Clark, Peters and Issa Walker).

Solid efforts were also turned in by Ben Adams, Ron Cobb, Matt Hull and Caleb Keller-Pitstick.

Competing for the girls team, Tina Peters finished second in the 1600 and fifth in the 3200 meters. Carly Bailey cleared four feet four inches in the high jump.

Hard luck for Bulldogs baseball
The YSHS baseball team fell on hard times last week, losing 9–3 to Cedarville on Wednesday, April 20, getting crushed 10–0 the next day at Middletown Christian, and finally dropping a tight 10–9 game to Xenia Christian on Monday, April 25.

The Bulldogs will spend the last third of the season trying to turn around a 2–8 record overall, and a 2–4 record in the Metro Buckeye Conference.

Against Cedarville the ’Dogs jumped out to an early lead when Kyle Truitt hit a smash off the first baseman, stole a base and then scored on an error. The team added a run in the second on hits by Aaron Willis and Todd Sheets. With the game tied at 2–2 in the bottom of the fourth, Willis again singled and scored on a double by Kilan Brown. But the Indians scored 5 runs in the fifth to take a lead they never surrendered.

On Thursday the Bulldogs faced Middletown Christian, the MBC leaders, and their ace hurler. The ’Dogs could only muster 2 hits, a single by Brown and a double by Cody Johnson.

The game against Xenia was much closer, with the Bulldogs taking an early 1–0 lead on hits by Willis and Fulton. The team went up 2–0 in the second when Noah Woodburn walked and eventually scored on a wild pitch.

The Bulldogs came back from a 3–2 deficit in the fourth to score 4 runs on a double by Truitt and a two-run single by Willis. The teams then traded runs, with Xenia tying the score at 6 and the Bulldogs pulling ahead to a 8–6 lead in the sixth when Andrew Ferguson walked and scored on an error and Willis was knocked in by Brown.

Xenia came back to tie the game with two singles and a Bulldog error then went ahead 10–8 on a line drive that fell just out of Willis’s reach in left field. Woodburn scored on an error, but the ’Dogs couldn’t score again.

Fulton took the loss but struck out 9.

Softball team beats Ridgeville
The YSHS softball team won its first game of the year when it defeated Ridge-ville Christian, 13–3, on Friday, April 18. The team’s luck fell short against Troy Christian, who beat the Lady Bulldogs, 23–4, on Friday, April 12.

Lauren Miles and Bailey Linse pitched against Ridgeville. Jennifer Smith hit 2 singles, Aiysha Walker had 3 hits and Linse had a hit. Megan Burrick hit 2 home runs, and Brittany Butler hit a double.

“The girls came together as a cohesive unit and showed great improvement over the first five games,” coach MacKenzie Reynolds said.

Against Troy, Yellow Springs got off to a rough start, allowing 4 runs in the first inning. Offensively, the team im-proved as the game progressed with Butler, Danielle Fulton, Smith, and Linse scoring runs.

Boys soccer meeting

A second meeting for all YSHS students who plan to play on the boys soccer team this fall, and their parents, will be held Friday, April 29, 7:30 p.m., at the high school cafeteria.

Parents and players who were unable to attend last Friday’s meeting should be present. Players should bring their work and vacation schedules through August.

The team will ask for people to sign up for the annual boys soccer fundraiser. For more information, call coach Jim Hardman at 767-2200.

Last chance to sign up for baseball program

The deadline for all new and returning players, ages 11 to 14, to sign up for Major League Youth baseball is Sunday, May 1, at 7 p.m.

Players may register by contacting coach Bob Morrison at 767-1703 or drbobmorrison@sbcglobal.net.

The coaches will meet on May 1 at 7 p.m. to finalize the team rosters and set the schedule. Practices will begin the first week in May and the season starts May 21.