By SCOTT NOVAK

Dowagiac Daily News

The Dowagiac varsity baseball team still hasn’t found a way to close the deal.

And as a result, the Chieftains are just 5-5 on the year and are now 1-1 in Wolverine Conference play after yet another split.

On Friday night it was South Haven that got past Dowagiac in the opening game, edging the Chieftains 8-7 in a see-saw contest.

The Chieftains did rally in the nightcap to earn the split with a 7-5 victory.

The first game had South Haven grab an early 2-0 lead only to have Dowagiac score twice in the bottom of the second to tie things up.

The Rams came back with three more runs in the third to take a 5-2 lead before Dowagiac tallied four runs in the bottom of the fourth to lead 6-5. A run in the fifth gave Dowagiac a 7-5 advantage.

However, three runs in the sixth allowed the visitors to squeak past the Chieftains in the league opener for both schools.

Zac Hyatt started for the Chieftains and struck out 10 Rams through four innings of work. He also walked eight batters, but allowed only three hits.

Jason Turner came on in the fifth and pitched an inning and a third, giving up three runs on two hits. Turner took the loss.

Aaron Blaske finished the game for the Chieftains.

Both teams had just five hits. Dowagiac got a single and a double from Blaske and two singles from Brett Scanlon, who drove in a run. Andrew Kurdelmeyer singled and drove in three runs for the Chieftains.

In the nightcap, both teams scored twice in the opening inning.

Dowagiac grabbed a 4-2 lead in the third inning only to have South Haven score three times in the bottom half of the fourth to take a 5-4 advantage.

The Chieftains knotted the score at 5-5 in the fourth and then scored twice in the twice in the top of the sixth to take the lead.

After the Rams batted in their half of the sixth, the game was halted due to darkness.

Cody Cox was the key to the victory for the Chieftains in the second game.

Cox picked up the win as he went the distance, allowing five runs on six hits with four strikeouts and just two walks.

At the plate he was 4-for-4 with five RBIs.

“Cody Cox was extremely instrumental for us in game two,” Dowagiac coach Bryan Henry said. “Pitching-wise he didn’t have his best stuff and wiggled out of several jams. At the plate he was 4-for-4 with five RBIs, but he should have had six except one hit was ruled a ground rule double.”

Cox had two singles and two doubles for the Chieftains, who also got two hits and an RBI from Blaske and Hyatt.

“The entire doubleheader was a roller coaster ride,” Henry said. “In game one we came back from 2-0 and 5-2 deficits and then we lost the lead in the sixth. However we had a chance to tie it in the seventh. In game two we lost a 5-2 lead in the fourth, but came up with two big runs in the sixth.

“I am looking forward to our ballclub putting it all together this week,” he added.

First game

South Haven 203 003 0 – 8 5 3

Dowagiac 020 410 0 – 7 5 0

LP – Jason Turner, 1-2 (5), Zac Hyatt, Aaron Blaske (6) and Brett Scanlon

2B: Aaron Blaske (D)

Second game

Dowagiac 202 102 – 7 12 1

South Haven 200 300 – 5 6 4

WP – Cody Cox, 1-0 and Brett Scanlon

2B: Cox (D) 2

Varsity record: Dowagiac 5-5, 1-1 Wolverine