By SCOTT NOVAK

Dowagiac's Alex Miller lays down the suicide squeeze for the winning run against the Bulldogs.

Dowagiac Daily News

After “squeezing” out a victory in the opening game against visiting Vicksburg Wednesday afternoon, the Dowagiac baseball team wasn’t able to carry that momentum over into the second contest.

Dowagiac used a bottom of the seventh suicide squeeze to edge the Bulldogs 2-1 in a battle of defending Wolverine Conference co-champions.

Vicksburg got the better of the Chieftains in the nightcap, scoring five runs in both the third and fourth innings on its way to an 11-1 victory.

Dowagiac led 1-0 after two innings in the opening game, but wound up in a 1-1 tie with the Bulldogs after five innings of play.

The score remained that way until the bottom of the seventh when Andrew Kurdelmeyer scored on a squeeze bunt from Alex Miller with the base loaded.

The two teams road the strength of tremendous pitching in the first game.

Vicksburg’s Billy Maple tossed a four-hitter at Dowagiac, while the Chieftains’ Zac Hyatt was even better as he allowed just two hits over seven innings of work.

The second game looked to be headed toward another fantastic finish until the bottom of the third when with two outs the Bulldogs scored five times.

“After that we lost focus and gave up another five runs in the fourth,” Dowagiac coach Bryan Henry said. “The first game was big. Zac Hyatt pitched a heckuva game and Alex came through with the squeeze bunt.”

In the opening, Kurdelmeyer had two hits for the Chieftains.
Miller, Hyatt and Brett Scanlon all singled for Dowagiac in the nightcap, which was shortened due to darkness.

The loss dropped the Chieftains to 7-10 overall and 2-4 in conference play.

First game
Vicksburg 000 010 0 – 1 2 3
Dowagiac 010 000 1 – 2 4 1
Billy Maple (L) and Wiersma.
Zac Hyatt (W, 3-1) and Brett Scanlon

Second game
Dowagiac 001 00 – 1 4 3
Vicksburg 105 5x – 11 11 1
Mussleman (W) and Wiersma
Cody Cox (L, 1-1), Cal Cox and Scanlon.
Varsity record: Dowagiac 7-10, 2-4 Wolverine