POMONA, N.Y. (August 3, 2025) – The Down East Bird Dawgs fell in dramatic fashion Sunday afternoon, losing 6–6 in sudden death to the New York Boulders at Clover Stadium. The extra-inning heartbreaker gave New York a series sweep.

The Bird Dawgs came out swinging as Jaylen Smith ripped an RBI single in the first inning to drive home Trey Law and give Down East a 1–0 lead.

New York responded quickly in the bottom half, with Jason Agresti delivering an RBI single and Fritz Genther adding a sacrifice fly to center to put the Boulders up 2–1.

Down East reclaimed the lead in the second when Elias Stevens launched a two-run homer. The offense kept rolling in the third, as Trotter Harlan grounded out to bring in a run, and Stephen DiTomaso drove in Stevens with a single in the fourth to make it 5–2.

The Boulders were quiet until the seventh, when Kyle Hess knocked a two-run single to pull within one. In the ninth, Enzo Apodaca tied the game with a solo homer, sending it to extra innings.

Each team plated a run in the tenth as Ali LaPread hit a sacrifice fly for the Bird Dawgs and Garrett Cooper scored on a wild pitch for the Boulders to tie it at six and extend the game to sudden death.

Under Frontier League rules, once the game reaches the 11th inning, the sudden-death rule is introduced. The home team determines if it will play offense or defense, and they play a half-inning. If the fielding team gets three outs without allowing any runs, then they take the win. The team that is hitting is given a baserunner at first base with no outs, and if they score a run, then they win the game.

New York elected to play defense as the southpaw Ethan Bradford (5-1) entered the game and earned the win, facing four batters.

Due to Frontier League rules, no losing pitcher is credited in a sudden-death inning. Drew Henderson tossed a quality start for Down East, allowing two runs on three hits over six innings.

The Bird Dawgs drop to 29–42 and return home to host the Sussex County Miners in a six-game series beginning Tuesday, August 5, at 7 p.m. at Historic Grainger Stadium.