JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — The joke goes: the Madison Bobcats were stuck in traffic so long getting to the game, they rebranded themselves the Upper Valley Bulldogs by the time they arrived to play the Post 43 Jackson Giants.
Jackson was scheduled to play the Madison Bobcats but that is the spring version of the team made up of mostly high schoolers in the Rexburg, Idaho area. The summer AA team is named the Upper Valley Bulldogs.
Giants 3, Dogs 2
Whoever that visiting team was, Giants starter Kade Foulke hurled a gem of a game in earning the win to start the doubleheader. Foulke went six innings scattering 5 hits and 4 walks while surrendering just 1 earned run and striking out 8. Austin VanSkike picked up the save throwing a scoreless 7th inning.
Foulke’s performance was overshadowed momentarily by his counterpart on the bump for the Bulldogs. Kameron Kostial used an explosive fastball and good command to mow down all seven Giants batters he faced, 5 by strikeout.
But Upper Valley coaches had Kostial on a pitch count, saving him for a doubleheader they had scheduled the following day. The Giants managed to scratch across 3 runs against reliever Cody Rydalch without really roughing him up too badly.
Jackson picked up just 2 hits—Grant Parkin and Bridger Hammond. It was a 2-run passed ball, with a throwing error charged to the Dogs’ catcher Landon Drake that gave Jackson the win.
Dogs 15, Giants 3
Just how good Foulke’s performance in game one was became evident in the nightcap when the Bulldog bats awoke. Foulke had put them to sleep in the opener.
Upper Valley again took an early lead and, again, the Giants answered. A 2-run double by Cody Rydalch in the first gave the Dogs a 2-0 lead. The Giants evened things in their half of the 2nd inning. A leadoff double by Lukas Gralund was followed by a spate of walks including a bases loaded one to VanSkike. Bridger Hammond added an RBI single and the game was knotted at 2 until the Giants could grab the lead in the bottom of the 3rd off an RBI single by Matt Fisher.
Then the wheels came off.
Giant starter Xander Witt could not work his way out of the 4th inning when the Dogs exploded for 9 runs. Witt (1-4) would take the loss. He allowed 4 earned runs on 8 hits while walking 3 and striking out 1. Bridger Hammond came on in relief but took his lumps as well. Hammond gave up 4 earned runs on 1 hit and 4 bases on balls.
Next up
The Giants (6-13) will see the Bulldogs (6-2) again Tuesday at home for another doubleheader beginning at 5pm. Those games will be carried on KZ95.
