Scoop27
05-22-2015, 09:04 AM
By JOEL LUNA joel.luna@thefacts.com | 0 comments
EL CAMPO — Unnerved by a last-minute location change, the Sweeny Bulldogs rode the arm of senior Mitchell Ullom on Thursday en route to a 3-0 shutout of El Campo in the first game of a best-of-three series at Legacy Field.
Originally scheduled to be played at Lamar Consol-idated Mustang Field in Rosenberg, the game was forced to move by rain. The teams decided to play the first two games on a home-and-home basis.
Sweeny (24-6-1) will try to close out the series at 7:30 p.m. today on its home turf field.
“This is a tough place to play and tough place to win,” Sweeny coach David Luster said. “To come to El Campo and pull out a win is huge.”
Ullom dominated the Ricebird bats, holding them to a single hit while striking out 12 in a complete-game victory.
“I came over here, and we were ready for the game,” Ullom said. “I was on my stuff, and we shut them down. I really felt like I was blowing it by them a little bit, and my curveball was working pretty good.”
Of the first nine batters Ullom faced, he struck out six of them.
“He got challenged this week,” Luster said. “We challenged him because they were talking a bit, and he accepted the challenge. This has to be one of his top three games that he’s pitched, for sure.”
Ullom wasn’t the only one on the top of his game, as El Campo’s Collin Quinn was having his way with Sweeny’s hitters from the mound. Quinn finished with eight strikeouts after sitting down the first 10 Bulldogs he faced.
After four scoreless innings, the Bulldogs finally got something going in the top of the fifth.
Dax McCleary got plunked by Quinn with one out, then Jacob Mathis rocked a 2-0 pitch to center field to place runners on first and second.
With two outs, Jonathan Svoboda slugged a 1-1 delivery from Quinn to the right-field gap to bring in McCleary for a 1-0 lead. The knock left runners on the corners with Cody Erikson at the plate.
On a 1-0 count, Quinn was called for a balk to first base, scoring Mathis and giving the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. Quinn managed to escape the inning with no further damage.
In the sixth, Ullom issued his only walk of the game, to Seth Pustejovsky, with one out. Ullom came right back, striking out the next two batters.
The Bulldogs added an insurance run in the top of the seventh after Ullom led off with a single to left field. Quinn got his eighth and final strikeout for one out, but Mathis (2-for-3) sliced a shot to left field placing runners on the corners.
Sweeny scored its final run when Brett Bullard laid down a perfect bunt toward first base to score courtesy runner Mikey Wetch. Ullom sat down the Ricebirds in order in the bottom of the seventh.
“It (the sudden change of venue) didn’t bother us at all,” Luster said. “These guys were real loose, and all year long we’ve been springing things on them last minute, so they don’t get in a routine just in case for stuff like this. I think it paid off tonight.”
El Campo fell to 24-5 on the year.
EL CAMPO — Unnerved by a last-minute location change, the Sweeny Bulldogs rode the arm of senior Mitchell Ullom on Thursday en route to a 3-0 shutout of El Campo in the first game of a best-of-three series at Legacy Field.
Originally scheduled to be played at Lamar Consol-idated Mustang Field in Rosenberg, the game was forced to move by rain. The teams decided to play the first two games on a home-and-home basis.
Sweeny (24-6-1) will try to close out the series at 7:30 p.m. today on its home turf field.
“This is a tough place to play and tough place to win,” Sweeny coach David Luster said. “To come to El Campo and pull out a win is huge.”
Ullom dominated the Ricebird bats, holding them to a single hit while striking out 12 in a complete-game victory.
“I came over here, and we were ready for the game,” Ullom said. “I was on my stuff, and we shut them down. I really felt like I was blowing it by them a little bit, and my curveball was working pretty good.”
Of the first nine batters Ullom faced, he struck out six of them.
“He got challenged this week,” Luster said. “We challenged him because they were talking a bit, and he accepted the challenge. This has to be one of his top three games that he’s pitched, for sure.”
Ullom wasn’t the only one on the top of his game, as El Campo’s Collin Quinn was having his way with Sweeny’s hitters from the mound. Quinn finished with eight strikeouts after sitting down the first 10 Bulldogs he faced.
After four scoreless innings, the Bulldogs finally got something going in the top of the fifth.
Dax McCleary got plunked by Quinn with one out, then Jacob Mathis rocked a 2-0 pitch to center field to place runners on first and second.
With two outs, Jonathan Svoboda slugged a 1-1 delivery from Quinn to the right-field gap to bring in McCleary for a 1-0 lead. The knock left runners on the corners with Cody Erikson at the plate.
On a 1-0 count, Quinn was called for a balk to first base, scoring Mathis and giving the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. Quinn managed to escape the inning with no further damage.
In the sixth, Ullom issued his only walk of the game, to Seth Pustejovsky, with one out. Ullom came right back, striking out the next two batters.
The Bulldogs added an insurance run in the top of the seventh after Ullom led off with a single to left field. Quinn got his eighth and final strikeout for one out, but Mathis (2-for-3) sliced a shot to left field placing runners on the corners.
Sweeny scored its final run when Brett Bullard laid down a perfect bunt toward first base to score courtesy runner Mikey Wetch. Ullom sat down the Ricebirds in order in the bottom of the seventh.
“It (the sudden change of venue) didn’t bother us at all,” Luster said. “These guys were real loose, and all year long we’ve been springing things on them last minute, so they don’t get in a routine just in case for stuff like this. I think it paid off tonight.”
El Campo fell to 24-5 on the year.