As Freedom’s baseball season progresses, the team just cannot seem to find their groove. The boys currently have a record of 1-12 and have finally achieved a win this season.

On April 25, the Bulldogs traveled to Mohawk to take on the Warriors. The boys could not gain any momentum and lost by a score of 15-0. The next day, on April 26, the Bulldogs and Warriors met again for a rematch. However, in this game, the Bulldogs had the home field advantage. Senior Carter Slowinski and junior Isaac Barry pitched throughout the game. Despite some strong plays, like a quick stop at third base by Barry in the first inning, a right field hit by Slowinski and base hits by Barry and senior Joshua Yeck in just the second inning, the boys still fell to the Warriors. The game ended with a final score of 11-1, which was an improvement from the day before. 

The Valley Vikings traveled to Freedom on April 29. Looking to get on track after their previous losses, the boys faced the Vikings with high hopes. The Vikings are sitting last in their conference, which is the WPIAL Class 3A Division 3. Even so, the Bulldogs could not overcome the Vikings, and finished the game with a score of 9-3. 

The Bulldogs were scheduled to take on the Hopewell Vikings on Monday, May 2, at Hopewell, and Wednesday, May 4, at home. Hopewell is the top team in the WPIAL 3A division 1, with a record of 11-3. The Bulldogs lost their first game against the Vikings, 14-0. Their second game against Hopewell was supposed to take place on Freedom’s home field, but it was changed to an away game because of field conditions. The Bulldogs have faced many scheduling changes and challenges due to the weather. Spring sports often face an onslaught of rain, which causes a slight setback in their season. The Bulldogs traveled to Hopewell and searched for a win against the Vikings. The boys fell 8-1 against Hopewell. 

The boys had their hopes up for a chance to win against the Northgate Flames. The Flames had a record of 4-7. The team had extra motivation to win because it was Senior Night, where seniors Tristen Clear, Slowinski and Yeck were recognized for their high school baseball careers. Slowinski was the starting pitcher, and junior Luke Snavely finished the game off. Many strong plays were made early in the game, which led the Bulldogs to a strong start. Yeck and sophomore Logan Bickerstaff both stole second and third base, in the early innings. Several runs batted in (RBIs) were also made in the first two innings. Junior Gaevin Sanders and freshman Thomas Ward hit one RBI each, and Clear hit a double, which led to two RBIs. All of these strong plays helped the boys achieve their long-awaited victory. The Bulldogs beat the Flames 6-3.

“Despite the season not going the way we wanted it to, I wouldn’t want to go to battle with any other group of teammates,” Snavely said.