Prior to a road doubleheader against Ignacio on May 2, the Dolores High School baseball team hoped to close out the year with two consecutive wins.
The Ignacio Bobcats had other ideas however, and, over the course of a warm afternoon, handed the Bears two straight defeats.
"We didn't play too bad, but we left way too many people on base and our starting pitching did not perform well in the first innings," said Bears' manager Rusty Hamilton.
Among the keys to Ignacio's 10-9 victory in the first game of the doubleheader was a six-run first inning that chased Bears starting pitcher Stetson Hamilton from the game.
After Kellen Gatzke relieved Hamilton on the mound, the Bears hung tough and pulled ahead 9-8 after scoring six runs in the top of the sixth inning.
A Dolores victory was not to be however, as Ignacio scored two runs of its own in the bottom of the sixth inning and hung on for the win.
Hamilton and Guy Wallace both slugged three hits and drove in two runs in the contest.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Bears received a solid pitching performance from Dalton Madden, but were undone by a difficult first inning and lost, 6-5.
Ignacio took advantage of three hit batsmen and two walks in the opening inning seize a 5-0 lead. Although the Bears scored single runs in the first, second, third, sixth and seventh innings, the early deficit proved too much to overcome.
With their record now at 7-8 on the season, Dolores will next play at the Class 2A District 2 Tournament on May 8. The Bears will open the tournament against Rangely (1-18) at 11 a.m.
"It looks like a game that we should win, but any given team, any given day, can beat you," said Hamilton.
If Dolores defeats Rangely, they will play the winner of a game between Paonia and Cedaredge with a berth to the Regional tournament on the line.