Squeeze bunt ends St. Vincent win streak

Fort Bragg bunted an eight-game St. Vincent High baseball winning streak out of existence Monday afternoon, using a bases-loaded squeeze to defeat the Mustangs, 6-5.

Fort Bragg’s Timberwolves snapped a 6-6 tie in the last of the seventh inning when a single and back-to-back walks issued by relief pitcher Bradley Leach loaded the bases with one out.

Lucas Triplett put down a bunt that Leach couldn’t handle as Dan Cook raced home with the walk-off run.

The loss was just the fourth of the season for the Mustangs, who have won 12. They remain 5-0 in North Central League II play. Fort Bragg is now 7-8 on the season.

St. Vincent starting pitcher Dom Pedersen scattered seven hits over 6? innings, but hurt himself with six walks.

The Mustangs got a run in the first inning when Pedersen, who had four hits in the game, drove home Leach with a double.

Pedersen knocked home two more runs with a single in the third.

For the second time in as many games, Reilly Tobin caught the defense napping and stole home for a run in the fourth.

In the fifth, Tobin singled home Pedersen for the Mustangs’ fifth run.

Fort Bragg staged a three-run rally in the last of the fifth inning to tie things.

Neither team scored in the sixth, and St. Vincent went down without a run in the top of the seventh, setting the stage for Fort Bragg’s walk-off bunt.

Aside from Pedersen’s big 4-for-4 day, the Mustangs didn’t do a lot with their bats with only Tobin and Nick Vollert collecting hits.