Gridley's Emmet Smallwood, Kaleb Sherwood and Byar McWilliams await the start of the NSCIF D4 Championship game against Lassen on May 17 at Butte College. Photo by Jennifer Corriea

OROVILLE, CA (MPG) - The Gridley Bulldogs baseball team won their second straight CIF Northern Section Division III Championship as they defeated the Lassen Grizzlies 6-3 on Saturday, May 18.

Lassen defeated Gridley earlier in the week in the winners bracket of the Division III tournament that guaranteed the Grizzlies a spot in the championship game as the Bulldogs defeated Orland for the fourth time on the season on Tuesday, May 14, to clinch their spot in the title game.

Lassen was up 3-0 after three innings and was able to escalate the pitch count of Gridley sophomore pitcher Tanner Abbott early.

Bulldogs head coach Quinn Spring told the Herald it took a little bit of time for Gridley to find their footing in the game, but the experience was nothing new for a lot of the returners on this year’s team.

The Bulldogs got their first hit in the fourth inning as Abbott singled to the left side of the field. After a couple hard-hit balls with two outs, Gridley cut the Grizzlies lead to 3-1.

Abbott brought the tying run in the top of the fifth as he hit into a fielder’s choice that brought in Bulldogs seniors Adrian Santillan and Bryar McWilliams.

Abbott pitched shutout innings in the fourth and fifth and had three strikeouts to end his day on the mound as he was at 105 pitches.

Gridley’s Tanner Abbott went five innings on the mound for the Bulldogs in the NSCIF D4 Championship game where he fanned eight Lassen batters and then went 1-for-2 with a pair of RBIs at the plate. Photo by Jennifer Corriea

Spring expressed to the Herald that sophomore pitcher Eli Punzo relieved Abbott and was able to pound the zone from the mound.

Gridley took the lead in the top of the seventh as junior infielder Garrett Francis hit a sacrifice fly to score McWilliams for a 4-3 lead. 

Bulldogs sophomore infielder Jason Davis Jr. came up next and blasted a ball to center for a two-run double to extend the Gridley lead to 6-3. 

Spring told the Herald the ball Davis Jr. hit was an absolute rocket.

Gridley third baseman Jason Davis, Jr. makes a throw to first base for an out in the Bulldogs' win over Lassen in the NSCIF Championship game on May 17 at Butte College. Photo by Jennifer Corriea

After Punzo surrendered a single to open the bottom of the seventh, he retired the next three hitters and the Bulldogs clinched the NS D-III title for the second straight year.

With the section title victory, Gridley will be playing in the NorCal CIF tournament. The brackets for the NorCal tournament will be released this weekend as other section finals were completed this past week.