OGEMAW HEIGHTS - May 8, 2008 - Ogemaw Heights is still in good position to win a share of its third straight North East Michigan Conference title if it can sweep last-place Whittemore-Prescott on Monday, May 12.

Sharing, though, was not what the Falcons had in mind, which made the taste of Thursday's split with John Glenn quite bitter. Some of that had to do with the way they lost the second game of that doubleheader, coming from behind to take the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning only to have the Bobcats respond with a four-run seventh to claim an 8-5 victory.

The Falcons loaded the bases with no one out in the bottom of the seventh with the heart of their lineup coming to bat, but couldn't push across a run.

"We needed one out," said Ogemaw coach Jeremiah Peace. "We'd come out in the sixth and did what we needed (to take the lead). And we ha what we wanted in the seventh with the bases loaded and our 2-3-4 hitters coming up.

"I think we'll be OK Monday. If we come to play, then this won't hurt so bad."

The Falcons won the first game behind the pitching and hitting of Rick Dodridge. Dodridge pitched a three-hitter and struck out 12 batters with three walks, and gave the Falcons the lead for good with a two-run first-inning home run.

The Bobcats scored an unearned run in the second, but the Falcons scored in each of the next three innings.

"We chipped away after we got Rick's home run," Peace said. "Rick bounced back nicely after pitching Monday. He's been mixing in his curves and change-ups more lately. That's the great thing about him; he hasn't been stagnant. He's been working to get better as a pitcher."

The second game seemed to be going the Falcons' way for the first five innings as Anthony Betancourt carried a 3-0 lead into the sixth. But Glenn took the lead with a four-run sixth inning, going ahead on Cole Martin's two-run single.

"Anthony really battled," Peace said. "He's a ground-ball pitcher. We know that's what we'll get from him. If we don't field them, or if they hit them in the wrong place, there's not a whole lot more he can do."

The Falcons weren't done, though, as Betancourt came through with a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the sixth to reclaim the lead.

Glenn, though, also wasn't done. The Bobcats had staged a pair of seventh-inning rallies at Standish-Sterling on Monday and did the same to the Falcons. Brandon Gottschling singled, and with two outs, Jordan Snider walked.

Jarrod LaBelle followed with a game-tying single to left, and Martin followed with his second go-ahead RBI single in two innings, this time for two runs.  Jordan Schumann walked, and Kyle Reed followed with an RBI single, though the Falcons got out of the inning after Michael Noffsinger took a relay throw from left to gun down Schumann at the plate.

The Falcons had their hopes high after Blaine Powley led off the bottom of the seventh with an infield single, Tyson Dantzer singled and Andrew Funsch walked.

But with the bases loaded and no one out, Glenn's Michael Ferguson came on to retire Noffsinger, Chris Bones and Dodridge on just five pitches. The Falcons dropped to 8-2 in league play with the loss, while Pinconning swept W-P to finish its league slate at 10-2.

"We had what we wanted," Peace said. "We had the right guys up in that situation, but give them credit for getting out of it.

"I have a lot of respect for Jeff Hartt and his program. He's got some great batters,  and they're always pumped up. They'll never roll over, and they proved that again today."