Showing a level of fight and determination that could lead them to great things this season, the Dolores High School baseball team fought back from an early deficit against Nucla High School on April 23 and put itself in a position to win.
An offensive explosion by Nucla in the 8th inning, however, proved to be too much for the Bears to overcome, as the team lost 10-9 and saw its record fall to 10-5 overall and 6-3 in the San Juan Basin League.
Among the top offensive performers for Dolores were seniors Cameron Schaffer and Neil Farias, who both came through with two hits and two RBIs. Senior Cameron Chavez, sophomore Kevin Purkat and senior Brennan Hite all hit one triple and drove in one run.
Chavez started the game on the mound for Dolores and allowed four earned runs over six innings and struck out eight batters. He was relieved on the hill by senior Dakota Smith, who yielded three earned runs over two innings pitched and was tagged with the loss.
Dolores fell behind 4-0 after Nucla scored three runs in the top of the second inning. The Bears clawed back by scoring three runs in the third inning and two runs in the fourth, however, to cut the deficit to 6-5.
After Nucla plated a single run in the sixth inning to make the score 7-5, Dolores came up big when it scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game and force extra innings. A tough final frame doomed Dolores, however, as Nucla outscored the Bears 3-2 in the eighth and nailed down the victory.
Hoping to return to its winning ways and close its regular season on a high note, the Bears will travel to Ignacio on Tuesday for a San Juan Basin League doubleheader that will kick off with the opening game beginning at 2 p.m.
