SCOTIA — Last Friday’s Western Athletic Conference match-up between Berne-Knox-Westerlo and Mekeel Christian Academy had just about everything a baseball game could offer.

Having just played each other two days prior up in Berne — Mekeel won handily — Friday’s meeting at Collins Park in Scotia could be looked at as the ending half of a 14-inning game. But, not really; the circumstances were much different.

Mekeel played small ball and bunted like crazy in the previous game, BKW Head Coach Matt Goebel said. The Lions didn’t bunt at all during Friday’s 9-to-6 win.

“I try not to look at team records or scores,” said Mekeel Head Coach Guy DeAngelis, whom Goebel described as a very intelligent coach. “It’s about match ups, head to head. Who is pitching? What is going to work today?”

DeAngelis said that the feeling of a game comes quick.

“Baseball is a game,” said Goebel. “It’s not life or death.”

But with one win on the season, BKW fought with all its might last Friday. The Bulldogs had two separate leads before bowing out in the seventh inning with the bases loaded.

“It’s the best we’ve played all year, so I’m happy,” said BKW pitcher Justin Barber after the loss. “We made plays, and put the ball in play.”

Trevor Haack stole home for the Bulldogs in the top of the fifth inning as the Lions’ pitcher, Danny Gregory, tossed the ball back to first base to check on the runner. Haack’s expert awareness caught the defense off guard. Before that, Collin Peragine scored on a high chopping grounder by Barber, and Peragine was actually lucky enough to still be on base at the time after almost getting tagged out between first and second base; he was able to avert the tag at second.

Mekeel was able to retake the lead, 6 to 3, by scoring four runs in the third inning. Scotty Voelker singled past the third baseman, stole second base, and then Nate Dougherty singled right down the first-base line, and then stole second base as well. Dougherty scored on a deep fly ball by Gregory.

With two outs, Barber walked J.P. Howard, who was then awarded second base during the next at bat when Barber was called for a balk. Zach D’Errico’s at bat continued and he hit a grounder to third base, but Peragine couldn’t corral the baseball as it popped up above him — D’Errico took second base. Finally, Howard and D’Errico scored on a grounder by Mitchell Fischer; Brad Ableman made a short throw to first base from shortstop, the ball getting lost at Daniel Grippin’s feet.

The Lions made the score 7-to-3 in the fourth inning, and it could have been more — the bases were loaded with two outs — if Barber didn’t get D’Errico to ground out.

^{_{Past the mound: Berne-Knox-Westerlo pitcher Justin Barber leaps off the mound to try to make a play on the baseball, far left, which was hit through him during last Friday’s game against Mekeel. Barber pitched six innings in the loss, which dropped the Bulldogs to 1-8 on the season. The Enterprise — Jordan J. Michael}}

BKW has had close games and not-so-close games this season. Coach Goebel said that it would be tough for someone to tell if the Bulldogs were up or down by 10 runs.

“We have a lot of heart,” said Barber after BKW went to 1-8 on Friday. “It’s been tough, but we push through it. I’m glad that we haven’t lost ourselves.”

After getting to within two runs, 7 to 5, with two runs in the fifth inning, the tide was shifting in BKW’s favor. Barber had a good next half-inning on the mound — strikeout, line out, and ground out. Ableman led off the sixth inning with a line drive to the outfield, but Voelker robbed Ableman of probably at least a double by making an amazing diving catch. Mekeel went on to score two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

But the Bulldogs weren’t deterred with its 9-to-5 deficit in the final inning. Peragine led off with a double, which made the Lions change pitchers. Peragine ended up scoring as BKW eventually filled up the bases.

“They were chirping,” Goebel said of his players in the seventh inning. “We’ve never given up. If your head is down, you’re never going to benefit.”

Mekeel (9-0, 10-2) was undefeated in the Western Athletic Conference, and Coach DeAngelis said that staying undefeated was definitely on his players’ minds. He said that BKW gave his team a competitive battle, and that’s why he doesn’t care much about an opponent’s record.

The Bulldogs may have a poor record, but the players are not angry. Win or lose, Goebel says that his players look at each game as a way of getting better at baseball.

“I’ve never lost them,” said Goebel. “Because getting down on yourself is never going to change anything.”

^{_{Swinging the bat is Brad Ableman for Berne-Knox-Westerlo in the fourth inning of a game against Mekeel last Friday. The Bulldogs were very competitive in the 9-to-6 loss. The Enterprise — Jordan J. Michael}}