Bolton Dodgers vaulting up in the NDBL standings

June 14, 2016 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte
A 2-1 record for the Bolton Dodgers last week is the latest in their climb up the North Dufferin Baseball League standings.
Damien Allison took to the hill to start the week against the Aurora Jays last Tuesday, where the high-powered Jays offence picked up four quick runs over the first two innings off the Dodgers’ starter.
Bolton responded with two of their own thanks to Jon Bloomfield and Tysen Hansen crossing the plate in the fourth, but the Aurora pitching staff, who held Bolton to just four hits, won it for the Jays 8-5.
Experiencing their first loss in more than two weeks of play clearly did nothing to faze the Bolton squad, who followed up by rattling off back-to-back wins in Bolton and Barrie.
Hosting the newcomer Creemore Barons at North Hill Park, last Wednesday began as a pitchers’ battle, with Hansen and his counterpart Eric Orser working to a 2-2 tie heading into the fifth inning.
The Dodgers were able to break the game wide open in the bottom of the fifth, tagging Orser for seven runs and sending him to the showers. The score would end 9-2, with multi-hit performances from Bloomfield and Michael Gemmiti, who went four-for-four on the night.
Hansen went the distance on the mound, allowing just two runs on three hits through seven innings of work.
He continued his stellar play at the other end of the pitch Sunday, earning the first of many RBIs in a match with the Barrie Angels on the road.
Hansen knocked in Bloomfield and Nick Taconga all the way from first base with a double in the top half of the first inning, before Colin McKeen brought in Hansen with a single to take a 3-0 lead.
From there, the Dodgers never took their foot off the pedal, trouncing the Angels in an eventual 18-6 win, the most runs put up by any team all season. Ron DiPalma earned the win, his first of the season.
After starting the season with an 0-3 record, the Dodgers have lost just one game since mid-May. Their current record of 4-4-1 has them in seventh in the 14-team league, and only two points out of fourth place.
Bolton’s 50 runs scored are also good for third in the league, only two runs behind the first-place New Lowell Knights.
Three games are on tap for the Dodgers this week, first welcoming the Clearview Orioles (6-3-0) to North Hill Park Wednesday after press time. A doubleheader follows in Midland Saturday, a pair of afternoon outings with the Indians (8-2-0).
For stats, schedules, and more information, visit www.ndbl.ca

Damien Allison struck out two in his first trip to the mound last Tuesday against the Aurora Jays at Lambert Willson Park in Aurora.
Photo by Jake Courtepatte