Dolores, Dove Creek split baseball doubleheader in high-scoring rivalry showdown

Dolores and Dove Creek turned a county rivalry into a run-soaked split at the Soper Sports Complex, with the Bears hammering out a 13-2 opener before the Bulldogs answered with a 19-18 win that needed every late inning to hold together. The doubleheader flipped from one-sided revenge to a frantic chase, and both games carried real weight for two programs trying to build momentum in the spring.

Dolores took control of Game 1 only after the Bulldogs kept it close through four innings, with Dove Creek leading 2-1 before the Bears broke it open. Dolores scored six runs in the fifth and six more in the sixth to pull away, a surge powered by junior Hayden Lancaster and junior Gus Vaughn. Lancaster finished the two games with five hits and eight RBIs, while Vaughn posted four hits and six runs across the set. On the mound, Vaughn threw a complete game in the opener, allowed only two hits, and struck out 12, a new career high.

The second game belonged to Dove Creek’s bats. After being limited to just three hits in the opener, the Bulldogs came out swinging and put up eight runs in the first inning, seizing control before Dolores could settle in. Junior Konner Spigner and junior Cael Beanland combined for seven RBIs in a game that kept bending but never quite broke for the Bears. Dove Creek later led 19-13 heading into the final frame, then had to survive a five-run Dolores rally before finishing the split. The Bulldogs collected 15 hits in Game 2, a sharp response after the quiet start to the afternoon.

The split also carried extra edge because it came after Dove Creek had swept Dolores 20-8 and 12-1 at Joe Rowell Park the year before. This time, Dolores flipped the script in the opener and extended a hot stretch that had seen the Bears score double-digit runs in four of their previous five games. For Dove Creek, the result came in a season shaped by second-year head coach Chris Beanland, a roster heavy on youth with eight freshmen, and a final run through 1A District 1 before CHSAA realignment changes the landscape after the season.

Dove Creek was set to face Sierra Grande and Sanford on Friday, April 10, while Dolores was scheduled to host Ignacio at noon Saturday, April 11, at Joe Rowell Park, where the Bears’ revival has made every home date part of a bigger rebuilding push.