GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - The Gridley Bulldogs struggled against the Las Plumas Thunderbirds in Butte View League play as they were swept in league play as they handed over the torch to first place in the league standings with an 11-2 loss on Tuesday, April 25.

Getting swept by Las Plumas was Gridley’s second and third loss in a row, but the Bulldogs are still in prime contention for the CIF Northern Section that begins after the conclusion of this week’s final league matchups.

In the first game of the series, the Bulldogs struggled to find any offensive flow in the box with two strikes, including seven strikeouts as a team. They mustered up five hits throughout the day, but Gridley head coach Javier Solis expressed to the Herald that they couldn’t get it done, bringing in runners in scoring position.

“We took too many strike three calls and couldn’t bring our guys in off scoring position,” Solis said.

Freshman pitcher Tanner Abbott got the start for the Bulldogs as he brought his five team leading wins and best earned run average on the team against the Thunderbirds, but it was not enough.

Abbott threw 49% of his 82 pitches for strikes, but he struggled at a partial time in his three innings of work by surrendering seven runs off while three of them were earned runs. He additionally gave up five hits, struck out four, but also had four walks.

Solis exclaimed to the Herald that Abbott is also a freshman and still threw his strikes, but ran into errors from their defense. 

Solis added that throughout the game, the hitters of Las Plumas wer able to take the ball to the opposite side of the field that the ball was being hit from.

The 14 hits given up between Abbott and senior pitcher Kendal Witt were the most the Bulldogs have given up in a single game.

Solis exclaimed to the Herald he and his team understood the second half of the sows was going to be the tougher part of their schedule. Prior to the beginning of BVL play with the Thunderbirds, five of the 12 games prior were against teams with a .500 record or better where Gridley (11-3, 4-2 BVL) went 4-1 in those games with a loss to Colusa on April 19.

Bulldogs senior infielder/pitcher Michael Ryan went two-for-three in the row played for the Gridley along with two runs-batted in.

The Bulldogs committed three errors in the first game defensively and followed with nine in the second game of the series.

Gridley had a huge final week of BVL play scheduled this week against Orland as playoff seedlings in the Northern Section are to be determined following all games through competition this Saturday.

Las Plumas will more than likely be moved up to the Division II bracket as the Bulldogs and Orland should stay in Division III.

Gridley swept Orland last year in both games and Ryan had five hits over the two game span. The winner of the series against Orland should be towards the top of the Division III bracket.