Martinez Closes Door as Bird Dawgs Hold Off Boulders Late Rally
POMONA, N.Y. (May 30, 2025) – The Bird Dawgs held off a late rally to edge the New York Boulders 7–6 on Friday night, taking the opener of a three-game series at Clover Stadium.
New York took the lead in the bottom of the first as Ryan McCoy launched a homer that cleared the stands in right-center field, and Alfredo Marte scored on a wild pitch to jump in front 2-0.
Seven batters stepped up to the plate in the second for the Bird Dawgs as they scored two runs on one hit to tie the game. Tyler Blaum was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score Yassel Pino, and Trey Law hit a sacrifice fly to center field to allow Jaylen Smith to score to make the score 2-2.
The Bird Dawgs took the lead in the third, scoring three runs. Cameron Masterman came home on a wild pitch, and Trotter Harlan smacked a two-RBI single that brought home Pino and Smith to go up 5-2.
The Boulders got a run back in the fourth when Marte singled home McCoy to make it 5-3.
Emmanuel Tapia answered in the fifth, launching his eighth homer of the year. Blaum followed with a sacrifice fly that brought in Pino to push the Bird Dawgs lead to 7-3.
New York battled back in the eighth, as Christian Ficca lined a two-run single to score Austin Dennis and Braydon Dolbashian. Zane Zurbrugg followed with an RBI double that brought home Jason Agresti to cut the deficit to 7-6.
Greg Martinez entered in the eighth for the Bird Dawgs with two outs and the go-ahead run on second. He struck out the next batter to end the inning, then returned in the ninth and recorded a clean frame to earn his fourth save of the year in the Bird Dawgs 7-6 win.
Axel Andueza (1-0) earned his first win of the season, tossing two innings of one-hit relief behind starter Zach Grace. Grace went 4 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on six hits as he walked five and struck out seven.
New York starter Ryan Sleeper took the loss as he went four innings while allowing six runs, three earned, as he walked three and struck out six.
The Bird Dawgs improve to 8-9 and remain in second place in the Atlantic East. They’ll face the Boulders in game two of the three-game series on Saturday, May 31, in Pomona, N.Y., at 6:30 p.m.
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About the Down East Bird Dawgs
The Down East Bird Dawgs are a professional baseball team in the Frontier League, an MLB Partner League. The team began their inaugural season in May 2025 at Historic Grainger Stadium, in Kinston, NC. The team is continuing baseball traditions in the Kinston community with competitive play, captivating promotions, and top-notch community involvement & events.
Media Contact: Spencer Pattison | Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations (office) 252.549.4388 (email) [email protected]