Bulls Baseball

Playoff Clinching Changes Focus

2009-07-25T14:24:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it! Friday night saw us clinch another playoff spot, the 11th straight for the Bulls. The focus turns to the first round of the playoffs, likely to open at Spitz Stadium next Friday against Edmonton or Medicine Hat. The Bulls have been playing well against all opposition lately, except for the games against the Okotoks Dawgs. The team knows that to achieve playoff success, the road in all likelihood will go through Seaman Stadium.

The Dawgs have been hot of late but we have had our chances, except for last Thursday's 13-1 debacle. We have been as unlucky as the Dawgs have been lucky, but we need to start to make our own breaks and limit our mistakes if we hope to take a serious run at those two time defending champs. Let's hope we can pull one of the two remaining games off this next week.

Dustin Bissonnette will return early this coming week after his participation in the World Baseball Challenge that was played in his hometown of Prince George, BC. His veteren leadership will be welcomed back, especially as we march toward the second season. Matt Bannister will also return and add another arm for the playoffs. Ariel Perez, our last roster change before the playoff deadline earned his first win of the season on Friday night and should be a big part of the playoff run.

Watch for some more playoff notes over the coming week and if you have any questions for the Bulls dont hesitate to post something on the blog!

Alumni to the Rescue

2009-07-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

Last night’s game was the 3rd annual “Strike out Hunger “game was a huge success. The Bulls were hosting Team Alberta and managed to draw more fans for this charity game than they managed Saturday night when they took on division rivals, the Okotoks Dawgs. The fact the fans were able to overfill the Interfaith Food Bank’s donation container on night when the Bulls hosted an exhibition game speaks volumes about the fan’s support of both the Bulls and the community. It was great game, featuring many past Bulls suiting up and taking part in the challenge against Albert’s team in the upcoming Summer Games. The Bulls were caught a little off guard by the talent of Team Alberta as they were behind early 4-1. However the experience of the Bulls showed later as they were able to chip away at the lead and win 7-4. It was a great experience for Team Alberta as they continue on their way to PEI for the Summer Games. It was a bittersweet loss for Team Alberta’s catcher Jamie Mitchell, as he is also member of the Bulls squad but will be taking part in the Summer Games for Team Alberta. The next test for the Bulls is Wednesday July 22nd as the Edmonton Prospects come to town for Western Division showdown.

Bulls Lose A Tough One To Okotoks

2009-07-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

One of the best baseball movies ever has the be "The Natural" starring Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs. The story of a aging rookie who joins a last place team (the New York Knights) and takes them to the World Series. Just after Hobbs joins the team there's a sequence in the movie where the Knights blow a late inning lead and the team's radio announcer exclaims in frustration:"And the Knights can do nothing right no matter what they try!". After Saturday's game at Spitz Stadium, a variation on the movie phrase could be used to sum up a tough loss. "The Bulls can't seem to beat Okotoks no matter how hard they try!". The Dawgs came away with a 3-2 win in twelve innings, in a game that saw the teams combine to use nine pitchers. Home runs, tremendous catches in the outfield, and solid pitching were all part the extra inning thriller. Designated hitter Brendan Miller gave the Bulls a 1-0 lead in the second inning with a solo home run. Okotoks tied the game with a run in the fifth, then took a 2-1 lead in the sixth on a home run by Marshall MacDonald off Bulls starter Alex Tufts. The Dawgs held on to the one run lead until the bottom of the ninth, when catcher Joel Blake got a two out base hit to drive home pinch runner Jamie Mitchell with the tying run. The teams went to extra innings, with the Bulls coming excruciatingly close to winning it in the bottom of the eleventh. Jesse Sawyer stroked a one out single to left field. Mitchell struck out, but Sawyer advanced to third on a couple of passed balls. Ken Fuglerud, who had entered the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth, walked. And that set the stage for Blake, who had a tremendous game both at the plate and behind it. He hammered a low liner to right field. But the Dawgs Anthony Cros came on hard and made a diving catch to end the inning. Cros lead off the twelfth with a walk and scored the winning run on an infield hit by Manny Kumar. Ryan MacDonald walked in the bottom of the twelfth. But he became the finally out of the game when he was doubled off first after Eric Dorton hit a fly ball to Okotoks centerfielder Jeremy Shelby. It was pay back for Shelby, who was robbed of a home run in the second, when MacDonald made leaping catch up against the left field fence. Jared Mortenson, the fifth Bulls pitcher on the night, was tagged with the loss. Tufts went six innings, allowed two runs on seven hits, had five strikeouts, and walked two. Ariel Perez pitched the seventh, Richard Pharr the eighth, Steve Hogue the ninth and tenth, followed by Mortenson in the eleventh. After he walked the first two batters in the twelfth Mortenson gave way to Jimmy Munnil. Blake was 3 for 5 with a double and an RBI. Miller was 2 for 5 with a home run and two runs scored. The loss gives the Bulls a record to 20 and 15, while Okotoks moves to 25 and 10. The teams meet five more times in the next ten days, including Sunday afternoon in Okotoks.

A Look Back at 10 Years

2009-07-17T14:04:00.000-07:00

Watch for more picture updates on the Bulls as they make a run for playoffs!

Bulls Open The Stretch Drive With A Loss

2009-07-17T13:38:00.000-07:00

The Bulls began the final two weeks of the regular season in Medicine Hat Thursday night with a 6-2 loss to the Mavericks. The Bulls opened the scoring and led 1-0 after one. Medicine Hat tied the game in the bottom of the second. The Mavericks came up with five runs in the third inning that turned out to be the difference in the game. Adam Reynolds was the losing pitcher and now has a record of 4 and 3. He gave up seven hits and six runs, but only three were earned. Reynolds struck two and walked one over five innings. Ariel Perez and Richard Pharr pitched three innings of scoreless relief, Perez in the sixth and seventh, and Pharr finished up in the eighth. The Bulls got seven hits in the game. Josh Lowden was the only player in the line-up with more than one hit. He was 2 for 4 with a run scored. Zach Rhodes was 1 for 3 and drove in both runs. The loss gives the Bulls a record of 19 and 15, as they begin an important weekend at home against the two teams with the best records in the league. The Swift Current Indians, the Central Division leaders (20-10), make their only visit of the regular season to Spitz Stadium Friday. Vauxhall Academy grad Brandon Petite is scheduled to get the start on the mound. West Division leading Okotoks (23-10) are the visitors Saturday night. Both games begin at 7:05. The Bulls have a busy schedule to complete the regular season, with fourteen games in fourteen days. Twelve of the games are regularly scheduled league games, plus one make up game for a rain out, and an exhibition game against Team Alberta next Monday night at Spitz Stadium. The game against Team Alberta is also "Strike Out Hunger Night" that was postponed from an earlier rained out game. Fans who bring a non-perisable food item with them will be admitted to game for only two dollars. The food will be donated to the Interfaith Food Bank. The July 14 game against the Edmonton Prospects that was rained out has been re-scheduled for Wednesday, July 22 at 7:05 pm.

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