POMONA, N.Y. (August 1, 2025) – The Down East Bird Dawgs scored first Friday night, but the New York Boulders responded with nine unanswered runs to take the series opener 9–1 at Clover Stadium.

Ali LaPread put Down East on the board in the second inning with an RBI single to center field, giving the Bird Dawgs a 1–0 lead.

New York answered quickly in the bottom half, plating three runs. Christian Ficca tied the game with a single to right, Austin Dennis added a sacrifice fly, and Kyle Hess followed with an RBI single to put the Boulders up 3–1.

The Boulders broke it open in the fourth when Hess launched a three-run homer to the short porch in right. Ficca was later hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and Enzo Apodaca drew a walk to push the lead to 8–1.

Santino Rosso added an RBI single in the sixth to cap the scoring at 9-1.

Caughlin Shults (0–1) took the loss, allowing three runs on four hits in two innings. Blaine Traxel (1–0) earned the win for New York, giving up one run on five hits while striking out four over seven strong innings.

The Bird Dawgs drop to 29-40 as they look to bounce back in game 2 of the three-game series against New York on Saturday, August 2 at 6:30 p.m.