Dodgers entering playoffs on a high note

July 30, 2015 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte
An up-and-down season has come to a successful end for the Bolton Dodgers, as they prepare for their first-ever post-season run.
They wrapped up their North Dufferin League regular season quite nicely last week, defeating the powerhouse Jays and earning a final two points off the Orangeville Giants.
Hosting Aurora in their final home game and deadlocked in a 1-1 draw, the Dodgers broke open the score in the fifth and sixth innings against an undermanned Jays’ squad. All hands were on deck for this one, as seven of the nine position players earned a hit, taking the game by a score of 6-1.
In Orangeville for a double-header Sunday to close out the season, both teams sent their aces to the mound as Shawn English came out for the Dodgers and Nick Hodgson for the Giants. Locked in a pitcher’s battle, with Orangeville up 1-0 in the sixth, English faltered, letting four runs cross the plate in the inning.
Hodgson pitched a two-hit shutout for the victory.
The next game started with Tysen Hansen on the mound, another marathon man for the Dodgers, going the distance as well. He allowed a run by Connor Smith in the first inning, but cruised to the seventh allowing the Dodgers to build up a sizable lead.
Jon Bloomfield, Michael Gemmiti, Colin McKeen, Shawn Hansen and Nick Taconga all crossed the plate (Bloomfield and McKeen twice) to head to the seventh inning up 7-1.
Hansen had two strikeouts in the seventh on way to a 7-3 victory. He gave up only three hits while striking out six.
Orangeville snuck into the post-season action by winning four-of-six in the final week of play.
That caps off the Dodgers’ regular season with a respectable 14-12-0 record, good for fifth place and enough to even secure home-field advantage. They will open up the Strother Cup playoffs with a series against the sixth-place Barrie Angels.
It’s a series that could very well go the distance, as the two teams actually tied in final standings, with the Dodgers coming out on top with a higher win column. They even split their season series, with the Angels winning early on 4-3 and the Dodgers earning a commanding 12-4 win just three weeks ago.
Schedules will be finalized at manager’s meeting after press-time.
For stats, schedules, and more information, visit www.ndbl.ca