BY FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
Rick Bohlen had three hits and drove in three runs while teammate Nate McFall had two hits and drove in two runs on Monday as the Bulldogs opened postseason play with a 10-3 Class 3A baseball regional quarterfinal win over visiting Urbana.
Grant Harvey also had two RBI for M-S. Jack McHale tallied three Bulldog runs. McFall and Dawson Finch each scored twice.
Bohlen and McFall each hit doubles. Jordan Veldman stole two bases.
M-S split the pitching chores between three hurlers.
Kyle Kinney worked the first 2 2/3 innings. Zack Chalk pitched the middle 2 1/3 innings and Bohlen closed it out with two shutouts innings, not allowing any hits or walks while striking out five Tigers.
Chalk also didn’t allow a hit or a run. He walked one and fanned two in his stint and picked up the victory.
M-S scored twice in the bottom of the third to regain the lead for good, 4-3.
In Wednesday’s regional semifinal on the Bulldogs’ field, Veldman was the game’s first batter and he drilled a home run, but it was the lone M-S tally in a 7-1 loss to Charleston.
M-S managed six hits, including two by Finch. McFall and Finch each had doubles.
In the season-finale, Bulldog batters struck out 14 times.
Finch pitched the first 2 1/3 innings. He worked a scoreless first inning when the Bulldogs turned an inning-ending double play.
However, the Trojans – who had lost a regular-season game to the Bulldogs – scored three runs in the second inning and never relinquished the lead.
Finch was one of four pitchers employed by M-S. He walked two and struck out three.
The Bulldogs end the season with a 17-10-2 record. M-S has enjoyed 11 consecutive winning seasons in baseball and has been above .500 in 14 of the past 15 years.
Ten of the team’s 21 varsity squad members were seniors: Rick Bohlen, Dawson Finch, Dylan Gates, Ben Greenberger, Kyle Kinney, Jon Latham, Jack McHale, Quinn Miller, Aleksander Strube and Jordan Veldman.
In Saturday’s 3 p.m. regional championship game, Charleston will face Champaign Central.
