The Last Days of the Dodgers

J.P.'s Dodgers picked up a couple of extra games this week.  

Thursday, we played what amounted to a scrimmage against the Commodores, a team of good boys we're evenly matched with and have played three times earlier in this season.  They only had eight players and after Benton hit a batter in the wrist, they were down to seven players.  We loaned them a different player each inning when they were in the field and played on.  

Benton struggled with a stiff back and his control in the inning he pitched.  I feel badly for him, as his back was been a problem all season and its affected his pitching.  Not his hitting, though, as he's been our best power hitter, hands down.  

J.P. pitched relatively well.  He walked his first batter in the last eight innings over three outings.  In the 11-7 victory, he pitched four innings, gave up two hits, struck out three, and walked one.  The Commodores scored three runs against him, although they may have been unearned.  A good, but not great, outing.  

Today, we played an 11 a.m. game against the Donelson Duelers.  They were mostly 14 year olds with a couple of 15 year olds mixed in.  They were missing three or four of their better players, according to their coach, due to a conflict with another tournament.  We've played them before, a couple of years ago, in an all star tournament in Lewisburg.  Lost a close game, as I recall.  It was the game where Porter - allegedly - stepped in front of home plate when he got a hit and was called out, after which all hell broke loose.  I had to calm our fans down so we could finish the game.

Cyrus started on the mound today and pitched well.  He got in trouble in the first inning.  After giving up a run (leadoff hit by pitch), Donelson loaded the bases with one out.  I went out and talked to him and to J.P., who was catching.  Cyrus got the next batter to pop up to third.  Then, after he ran the count to 2-0 on the final batter of the inning, I switched him from the windup to the stretch, and he struck the kid out to end the inning.  Giving up only one run was victory. 

We scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning.  Cyrus held Donelson scoreless in the second inning, after which we scored nine runs and the game was over.  

Ethan pitched the fourth inning and looked very good.  He gave up one hit but struck out two batters on wicked curve balls.  

Jonathan and Turner, at the top and bottom of the order, had two hits each.  Elijah had a big hit to deep left-center field, too.

Overall, the boys looked really, really good today, like a baseball team.  Outfielders hit the cutoff men.  No errors that I can recall.  Good, fundamentally sound baseball.  A pleasure to watch and a pleasure to coach.