Bulldogs finish 2003 with 16-2 record
GILROY — The Silicon Valley Bulldogs – a 14U traveling baseball team consisting of players from Morgan Hill and Gilroy – began their 2004 season in September, winning three tournaments and finishing second in the fourth tournament.
The team has been together since April of 2001, when they were an 11U team, with the players coming from the Morgan Hill Pony Baseball program.
The new season actually begins on August 1 of each year, and with this move, the players moved up to a full-size baseball diamond, with 90-foot bases, and a 60-foot pitching distance. The step up did not bother the team however, as they have been training on the Live Oak High School diamond since June. The majority of the team comprised the Pony-13 All-star squad, which made the Western U.S. Zone tournament last summer, in Fullerton, CA.
In their first tournament, held over Labor Day weekend in Reno, the Bulldogs had a perfect 5-0 record, defeating the Delta Rebels from Stockton in the Championship Game. The Bulldogs had an easy road to the final, 10-running all of their opponents, and highlighted by a long home run by Adam Perez.
In the final, the Bulldogs trailed the Rebels in the early innings, but were sparked by a Rebel player sliding in hard to second baseman Danny Nelson. The Bulldogs responded with several runs, and eventually won by the 10-run rule.
In September, the Bulldogs traveled to Fremont, and won all three of their preliminary games before facing the powerful Starmaker Sharks in the finale. The Bulldogs led early in the game by one run, but the heat and some un-characteristic errors eventually took their toll, as the Bulldogs lost 5-2.
In mid-October, the Bulldogs played a local tournament in Almaden Valley, and defeated two other Silicon Valley teams, the Ballistics and Dragons, in their first two games. Mike Devine and Anthony Bradley each had five hits for the Bulldogs offense. They played a Nor-Cal team twice, and won easily in the championship game, led by a six-inning masterful pitching performance by Jacob Dexter. Closer Matthew Cummins came in to retire the side in the seventh inning.
In what would turn out to be their last tournament of 2003, the Bulldogs traveled to Martinez, CA and won both preliminary games, behind excellent pitching from Kevin Grove, Jonathan Hughes, Perez, and Stephen Smith. The Bulldogs lost their only game of the tournament in the final pool-play game, losing by a run to the Woodland team.
In the semi-final against the Alameda Storm, timely hitting from Billy Hill, Ryan Evanger, Cummins and Nelson led the Bulldogs back to the final, with a re-match against the team from Woodland.
Dexter went all seven innings in the finale, as the Bulldogs won the championship. With the game close in the fourth inning, a key double from Michael Durham broke the game open.
As the Bulldogs prepare to play their 2004 calendar season (January – early March, plus an Easter week tournament), they are looking to add 2-3 players to the team. Details, contact Joe Grove at (408) 761-1144.
