DEXTER— The Dexter Tigers baseball team earned a 3-2 win over George Stevens behind a gritty pitching performance from Jacob Bickford on Friday afternoon.
Bickford allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and five walks, while striking out 10 in 6.2 innings. Trevor Richards got the final out of the game after Bickford issued a two out walk to Ethan Vinall in the seventh inning.
“My fastball and slider were working a little bit,”Bickford said. “I had minimum pitches (in the seventh inning) to work with. I got the first two batters. I got into my own head a little bit.”
It was the first time on the mound for the Tigers ace since May 9th when Bickford hurled a one-hitter in a win over Central.
“The bad thing about giving him nine days off is that he came out a bit rusty. If we stayed in his regular rotation, I think he would have been a little more crisp,”Dexter coach Chad Graffam said. “Jake (Bickford) is a competitor, he battled.”
Dexter got on the scoreboard quickly when Matt Hanscome singled home Bickford in the first inning. The Tigers got three hits but got two runners thrown out on the bases in that first inning. Dexter added to the lead in the third inning when Matt Richards put down a beautiful safety squeeze bunt that scored Trevor Richards.
Tanner Ashley got two hits and one RBI for the Eagles. Ethan Vinall pitched a complete game in a losing effort. He allowed seven hits on two walks and three runs, while striking out one.
Dexter (9-3) has now won six straight games. The Tigers have moved up to second in the Maine Principals’ Association class C heal point standings. They will play three of their final four games at home. George Stevens (7-5) currently sits third in the class C standings.
