Bolton Dodgers finding runs tough to manufacture

June 21, 2018 · 0 Comments

Written By JAKE COURTEPATTE

A rollercoaster of a season has hit a downslope for the Bolton Dodgers, who managed just one run through back-to-back games with the Ivy Leafs on Sunday.

The Ivy Leafs, the hottest team in the North Dufferin Baseball League thanks to the league’s hottest pitching, put their top arms to work for a pair of impressive performances.

Game one saw the Dodgers manage just five hits against Ivy starting pitcher Chris England, who went the distance while striking out 11 batters.

Tysen Hansen struggled early on the mound for the Dodgers, allowing four runs in the second inning before finding his groove, though his batters failed to provide any help in a 4 – 0 loss.

Michael Gemmiti and Brandon Nieva each had multi-hit games for the Dodgers, while Hansen went four innings in the loss before handing the ball to Ron Dipalma to close out the game.

Game two of the doubleheader was much of the same, with reigning pitching MVP Brad Grieveson taking to the mound for the Leafs.

Striking out an incredible 17 batters, Bolton did manage eight hits off of his complete game performance, but crossed the plate only once when Gemmiti blasted his third homerun of the season in the sixth inning.

Dodgers starter Shawn English went three innings before being replaced, taking the loss in an eventual 8 – 1 score.

English gave up six runs on six hits, while DiPalma and Simon Hamm split the remaining duties while giving up a run each.

A strong start to the season for the Dodgers has segued into losses in three of their last four, dropping them to a .500 record through the first fourteen games of the season.

They will be looking to right the ship in a Wednesday road match against the Clearview Orioles (8-4-0) following press time, before visiting the Barrie Angels (4-8-2) on Sunday afternoon.

The Bolton Brewers, the only undefeated team left standing in the NDBL, also return to action this week following a ten-day break when they take on the Ivy Rangers (6-5-2) on the road on Thursday evening.For stats, schedules, and more information, visit www.ndbl.ca.