By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
DOWAGIAC -- The Dowagiac varsity baseball team swept a pair of games with visiting Buchanan Friday afternoon at Rotary Park.
The Chieftains (8-2) blanked the Bucks, 10-0, in the first game of a non-conference doubleheader.
Dowagiac led 13-5 in the fifth inning against the Bucks, but were unable to hold that advantage.
The Chieftains ended up with a hard-earned 14-13 victory.
In the opener, Chris Singleton struck out 11 Bucks and tossed a four-hitter to earn the victory. Singleton also walked just one batter.
Ray Payne suffered the loss for the Bucks.
Dowagiac, after being held scoreless in the first inning, scored a run in the second, five runs in the third and four runs in the fourth to win by the 10-run rule.
Buchanan managed only four hits off of Singleton, one being a double by Koziel.
Dowagiac finished with 12 hits, including a single, a home run and four RBIs from Jeff Cooper.
Cooper has now hit four home runs in two days.
The Chieftains also got doubles from Richie Burling, Eddie Campbell and David Stuppy.
Landon Reed added two hits and an RBI. Scott Wilkinson also finished with two hits.
Burling, Cox and Rob Duszynski all drove in runs to go along with their one hit.
Aaron Koziel led Buchanan with a double.
In the nightcap both teams picked apart the opposing pitchers.
Buchanan rallied from a 13-5 deficit with a seven-run sixth inning.
Dowagiac won the game with a run in the bottom of the sixth.
Scott Wilkinson picked up the victory in relief. Davey Moran came on and earned the save.
Cooper was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Burling and Singleton both delivered RBI doubles, while Stuppy had two hits, as did Wilkinson, who also drove in a pair of runs.
Buchanan was led by Kyle Tracey, who was 3-for-3 with a double, triple, home run and an RBI.
P.J. Pollock doubled and drove in two runs, while Josh Walstrom, who took the loss, drove in a run with a double. Koziel had two hits in the nightcap.