New Look Dodos Win Fall Season Opener!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

On Troy Jr.'s birthday, Dodos Baseball opened the Fall 2010 season with a victory. Despite losing their top four hitters from the summer season, the team was moved into the Higher Division and faced the AAA Giants. The Dodos acquired new uniforms and some new key players who contributed heavily, as the Dodos went on to a 12-10 win.

After a scoreless top of the first inning, new Dodos' pitcher, Steve Cole, made his pitching debut, striking out the first batter looking before getting a ground ball out and then another strikeout. Cole worked eight innings, striking out eight, surrendering seven earned runs on eight hits and 14 walks. Dodos' summer league left fielder, Matty Lane, has slid into center field this season, and he led off the second inning with a single and scored when Brandon Farris doubled off the wall. Chris Hoffman would double Farris home, giving the Dodos a 2-0 lead.

With the score tied 2-2 in the third, Sal D'Angelo made his return to the Dodos with a first pitch single. Newcomer Rich Ortiz followed with a 2-R home run. After two flyouts, Lane doubled, followed by another RBI-double by Farris and a dropped flyball hit by Dodos' Sports first two-sport star, Jeff Hewitt. Hewitt advanced to second and scored when Hoffman singled him home. The Giants scored three runs in the next two innings from four walks, a hit batter, two hits and a dropped flyball to narrow the lead, 7-5.

The Dodos would score one run in each of the next two innings via solo home runs by the new additions, D'Angelo and Hewitt. Trailing 9-5, the Giants pitcher used the next pitch after the Hewitt home run to hit Hoffman in what seemed like a mild retaliation move, to which the Dodos seemed to shrug off. After the Giants ran themselves out of the sixth inning, the Dodos opened the seventh with Eddie Knipps reaching first on an error, then Brandon Boll bunting for a hit before D'Angelo added his second home run of the game, a three-run shot to right center. That prompted a pitching change, and the younger Diaz shut the Dodos down the next two innings.

Feeling the need to complete the game, Cole went back out to the mound to pitch the eighth, even after the manager had told him he was finished. Cole proceeded to walk the first batter, get a fielder's choice and walk another batter before giving up a 3-R home run. Not satisfied with eight innings, Cole went back to the mound in the ninth, only to surrender a single and a 2-R homer. He was showing obvious signs of fatigue and the home run closed the door on his day. Farris came into the game facing a save opportunity with the lead now dwindled to 12-10. Farris would get a ground ball to third, then Lane would rob a hit in shallow center with a sliding catch. A pop up to Farris would end the game, giving the Dodos their first victory and Farris his first save in as many chances. The Dodos face the LA Braves in a rematch of the last regular season game in the summer league this Sunday at Occidental College at 10AM.

Fantasy Performances of the Day: Boll 1-5 (1R, 2K); D'Angelo 3-5 (3R, 4RBI, 3-R HR, HR, K); Ortiz 1-5 (1R, 2RBI, 2-R HR, K); Butter 1-3 (BB); A. Gerber 0-3; Lane 2-4 (2R, 2B, K); Farris 3-4 (2R, 2RBI, 3 2B); Hewitt 1-3 (2R, 2RBI, HR, BB, 2E); Hoffman 2-3 (2RBI, 2B, HB, CS, K); Jason 0-4 (3K); Knipps 0-2 (R, BB); K. Gerber 0-1 (K).
Cole (W) 8IP, 10R, 7ER, 8H, 14BB, HB, 8K, 2HR; Farris (SV) 1IP, H