craigdailypress.com

First basemen Grady Wilson, a senior, had a two-run, RBI single in the seventh inning to unlock a 4-4 tie and the Bulldogs varsity baseball team held off a seventh-inning rally by the Rifle Bears to earn a 9-8 win Thursday in Rifle.

The win started league play and Moffat County High School (MCHS) moved to 7-2 overall and 1-0 in the Western Slope. The Bears fell to 5-4 on the season and 0-2 in conference.

The Bulldogs and Bears went into the top of the seventh inning tied 4-4, but MCHS blasted Rifle starter Brain Beecraft, a senior, for five runs. Two came on Wilson's single and three came off an error in center field on a hit by Bulldogs junior Kevin Voorhees. The runs gave MCHS a 9-4 lead going into the bottom of the inning.

Rilfe mounted a comeback, scoring three runs on two hits to pull the Bears within two, 9-7.

Rifle scored another run on a Bulldogs error to put the MCHS lead in jeopardy.

The Bears with, one out and a runner on first, popped a ball up to senior shortstop Brandon Carrera for the second out. Carrera fired the ball to Wilson at first base and he tagged out the Rifle runner to end the Bears rally.

"That seventh inning was really scary," said coach Kip Hafey. "They finally started to see our pitching and doing what they needed to do getting on base and scoring some runs."

MCHS freshman Jerod Estey, who came in on relief of senior Josh Bower in the third inning, was credited with the win.

Sophomore Chris Field got the Bulldogs the last two outs in the seventh inning to earn the save.

At the plate, junior Rob Satterwhite hit a two-run home run in the second inning.

MCHS will return to the field at 11 a.m. Saturday by hosting the Grand Junction High School Tigers at Craig Middle School field.