July 3, 2015 at 12:50 p.m.

Knights split with Bluffers


It was splitsville for the Dodgeville Knights Sunday in a pair of Home Talent games played between the raindrops last Sunday against Mount Horeb/Pine Bluff.
The Bluffers took the first game 7-6 while the nightcap belonged to the Knights, 6-1.
The score was actually 9-1 in the top of the ninth when rain ended play. The score then reverted back to the last complete inning.
The Bluffers scored a pair of runs in the first inning of the first game on singles by Jason Gordon and Cory Stamn followed by an rbi sacrifice fly by winning pitcher Cole Payne and a single by Jared Schaaf.
The Knights answered with a run in the bottom of the frame when Danny Sullivan doubled to drive in Mark Ludwig who had singled. Earlier in the inning lead-off hitter Kristian Haag was thrown out at the plate after singling to open, stealing second then racing toward the plate. He pulled a hamstring on the scoring attempt and will be sidelined until it heals.
The Bluffers scored twice in the second and once in the fifth on a Pete Hefty solo home run for a 5-1 gap. The Knights then sent home a pair in the bottom of the fifth when Austin Yager was safe on a fielders choice, Ludwig reached on an error and scored on a single by Travis Elvert.
They pulled within one in the sixth on a walk to Kellen Murphy and a single by Ian Streeter.
MHPB scored two more in the sixth on a two run double in the sixth.
The Knights came back with two in the eighth, Elvert singled and was replaced by Tad Spurley. Tanner Solberg then reached on an error. They scored on a fielders choice and a double play.
The Knights then went down in order in the ninth.
Ludwig and Elvert both went 2x4. Haag, Sullivan and Ian Streeter each had one hit.
Bill Hellman went the first five innings, leaving with eight hits, five runs, two walks and two strikeouts.
Brad Simmons worked the last four with five hits, two runs, three walks and a strikeout.
Nic Pierick and Danny Sullivan combined to silence the Bluffers on one run and four hits in the second game.
Pierick surrendered the lone run. He gave up four hits, walked two and fanned four while pitching six strong frames.
Sullivan struck out four in two innings of work.
The Knights scored two in the third on walks to Spurley and Levi Nagel and both scored on Sullivan's line shot double off the fence.
The Knights added four in the fourth on walks to Solberg, Austin Yager, Ryan Vail, Nagel and Brian Simmons which accounted for two runs. Sullivan then sent in two more with a single.
While the ninth did not count in the final score Simmons, Sullivan, Ludwig, Yager, Streeter and Spurley all had hits.
Nagel, Simmons, Elvert, Ludwig, and Spurley all had solo hits while Sullivan were 3x4, Solberg and Streeter 2x2 and Yager 2x4.
The win gives the Knights a 2-5 record. They are at Ridgeway July 4 and host Monroe July 5.
DODGEVILLE

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