OBSERVER Photo by Justin Goetz Dunkirk’s Peyton Ahlstrom covers second as Maple Grove’s Kyle Trim slides in ahead of the throw Friday.

he Dunkirk Marauders fell to Maple Grove, 9-7, in Dunkirk’s final CCAA West 1 divisional contest of the high school baseball regular season.

Dunkirk (4-12, 3-9) fell behind early, allowing three runs in the second inning, featuring three walks and an error in the frame. The Marauders got two runs back in the bottom of the inning, however, on an RBI triple by Koty Leeper, who later scored to make the score 3-2.

Maple Grove (4-6) tallied three more runs in the top of the fifth to make the score 7-3, but Dunkirk answered with three of its own in the bottom half to make the score 7-6. Peyton Ahlstrom had an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning — his third hit of the game — to tie the game at 7-7.

Maple Grove scored two in the top of the seventh inning on a two-run double by Easton Tanner. Trevor Hudson got the win in relief for Maple Grove, while Jazzy Rivera got the loss for Dunkirk.

“We were always battling from behind,” said Dunkirk coach Frank Jagoda. “Often times, we shot ourselves in the foot. … but, we’ve been playing really close ballgames lately.”

Jagoda added, “Trevor Hudson pitched outstanding in relief.”

This weekend, Dunkirk meets up with Gowanda to head to Cooperstown for a visit at the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame today. The two teams will also play in a non-league game on Sunday.

“It’s a really nice experience, especially for all the kids who have never had the chance to go,” said Jagoda.