Back From Extinction!

Dodos Baseball found the win column Sunday, attaining a hard fought victory over the visiting Rangers. The Rangers were undefeated before losing their first game of the season last week and were looking to turn their luck around when they ran into the winless Dodos. The Dodos were without key players 3B Charles Dethloff, OF Matty Lane, P Shaun Stephans and P Scott Allan (rotator cuff injury, out for season), so they had to play a mistake free game. Pitching lead the way, as Shane Shoemaker showed he was returning to form in his second start of the season, tossing a 10 strikeout, complete game, just barely missing the shutout due to an unearned run.

The Dodos started the game in usual fashion when Rangers' leadoff batter Eddie Baker hit a ground ball to starting 2B Chris Hoffman. It looked routine until the throw was mishandled by 1B Rick Jarakian. The error would prove costly as Baker would steal second two pitches later and score the game's first run when the fifth hitter, Davis Hernandez drove a line drive to right center. The home half of the inning did not yield a bright outlook for the Dodos, as Dustin Burke had a leadoff strikeout, Chris Hems singled but was out on the next pitch when Shoemaker grounded into a tailor made 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Shoemaker appeared to be a little rattled out of the gate to begin the second inning, as he hit the first batter he faced and threw a wild pitch. After a brief mound visit from Dodos' catcher, Andy Gerber, Shoemaker settled down and struck out the next batter looking, got a ground ball out to the shortstop and then another strikeout to end the inning.

The next three innings were dominated by great pitching and defense as the Rangers batted balls into the ground or struck out and the Dodos just couldn't seem to solve Rangers' starting pitcher Johnny Winkler and his curve ball (5IP, 4H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 5K) until the fifth inning when Troy Sr. lined a first pitch fastball into right center field for a base hit. After a hard hit line drive out by Andy Gerber, Rick Jarakian belted a 1-1 fastball into left field, scoring Sr. from first and tying the game at 1-1.

A pitching change to start the bottom of the sixth would benefit the Dodos. Rangers reliever, Hernandez would surrender a little dribbler off the bat of LF Kenny Gerber to give Gerber his first hit of the season and the Dodos a leadoff runner. Burke followed with a 2-1 single of his own to put runners on first and second with no outs with Chris Hems on deck. Hems has been a machine to start the season and today was no different (3-4, 1R, 3RBI, HR). Behind in the count 1-2, Hems 'tomahawked' a fastball over 340 feet away in left field, giving the Dodos a 4-1 lead and Shoemaker some insurance runs.

The last two and a half innings were the same as the first few, neither team could piece anything together and the Dodos went on to notch their first PCBL win of the season.

Fantasy Performances of the Day: Burke 1-4 (1R, 1K); Hems 3-4 (3RBI, 1R, 3-R HR); Shoemaker 1-4 (SB); Butter 1-3 (HB); Sr. 1-4 (R, 2K); A. Gerber 0-3; Jarakian 1-2 (RBI, BB, K); Hoffman 0-2 (2K, SB, HB); Hernandez 0-3, K. Gerber 1-3 (R)--Shoemaker (W) 9IP, 0ER, 4H, 3BB, 10K, 2HB, CG