It looked like for the third consecutive time the Altus High School Bulldogs might blow a late inning lead.

However Altus held off the Elgin Owls for a 5-4 victory Tuesday afternoon at Kiwanis Park.

The Bulldogs squandered leads in their season opener last week against Cache and Monday against Lawton High.

Altus led 5-2 going into the final inning. After starting pitcher Kevin Hamm walked the lead off batter in the top of the seventh AHS coach James Rubi brought in junior left hand er Dalton Gunkel to finish the game. After getting a ground ball out, Gunkel walked a batter and an error helped the Owls cut the lead to 5-4. With the tying and go ahead runners still on base, Gunkle retired the final two hitters on a weak ground ball and a lazy fly out to end the game.

Altus built the lead via a four run second inning. Chris Davenport drove in a run with a single, Austin Beisel doubled home two runs and Jackson Long plated a run on a ground out.

A single by Beisel and two Elgin errors gave Altus a run in the fifth inning.

Beisel led Altus in hitting with three hits ain three trips to the plate. Long, Dillon Ridley and Davenport all had one hit each.

Hamm pitched well for six innings. He yielded only one earned run and struck out six batters.

Gunkel was credited with the save after throwing 23 pitches in one inning.

Bulldog notes: Playing conditions became difficult in the fourth inning when a cold front with strong north to northeasterly winds hit the ball park.

The Bulldogs are 1-2 on the season going into the Altus Invitational Tournament which begins Thursday.

The six team tourney will have a round robin format. Altus is in a pool with Navajo and Wichita Falls, while the other pool has Putnam City, Cache and Elk City.

Thursday’s games will have Cache playing Elk City at 1:30 p.m., Altus meeting Navajo at 4 p.m. and Putnam City playing Cache at 6:30 p.m.

Friday’s games will have Wichita Falls playing Navajo at 1:30 p.m., Putnam City meeting Elk City at 4 p.m. and Altus going against Wichita Falls at 6:30 p.m.

A consolation game will be played at 11 a.m. Saturday. The third place game will get under way at 1:30 p.m. with the championship game set for 4 p.m.

Altus 5, Elgin 4

Elgin 001 001 2 4 7 3

Altus 040 010 x – 5 6 5

Simmons and Hunter; Hamm, Gunkel (7) and Ybarra

WP- Hamm. LP – Simmons. Save – Gunkel. 2B Altus, Beisel Cache, Jenkins