Dodgers 15U steal Kingston Tournament thunder!

by Camielle Edwards Lang

Bytown Dodgers U15 team certainly have wind in their sails after a resounding championship victory at the Kingston Thunder Tournament over the June 10-12 weekend.

The team went undefeated with games against the Clarington Orioles (1-13), Kingston Thunder (6-8), Bradford Storm (3-15), and old friends, Seaway Surge (7-8).

The championship game was a nail biter against the Burlington Bulls. After an 8 run lead in the 3rd, by the bottom of the 6th, momentum was with the Bulls, who trailed by just 1 run at 10-11.

At the top of the 7th, a single by Wade Eldridge brought home Matt Albert. The Dodgers held onto their 2-run lead at the bottom of the 7th as third baseman Izsak Hill snagged a fly ball to end the inning and get mobbed by his frenzied team mates.

For Coach Louis Albert, the objectives he had for players have already been exceeded. He attributes the weekend success to “stellar defence, players making impossible catches through great range and the willingness to dive to finish a play.”

Throughout the tournament, players indeed gave it their all and should be commended for their contribution to the team’s success:

On the mound, Wade Eldridge was as cool and collected as ever, getting himself out of some tight jams, and pitching a solid final 3.5 innings in the championship game. Andrew Amos was exceptional in Game 1, going 3 innings and allowing only one run on three hits, striking out 3 with zero walks. In game three, Hill and Lang shut down Bradford, allowing no earned runs, walking only two batters, and giving up only four hits. In yet another clutch performance, Amos went the distance in the semi-final against Seaway for the win.

Bats came alive in Game 1 with notable at-bats for Gabe Hemmings and Ryan Brennan in the 1-13 win. From that point onward, Brennan’s bat could not be silenced, batting upwards of .900 over the course of the 5 games. Brennan’s average was only second to Matt Albert’s, who batted 1.000 in the Sunday games (hitting 4/4 and 5/5). The big sluggers (Nat Steffler, Jacob Thomson and Izsak Hill) did what they do best throughout the tournament–hit hard and advanced their runners.

It was in game three against Bradford that the Dodgers’ offence truly exploded. The squad not only knocked out 14 hits in the 5-inning mercy, but also made loud and productive outs, including a hard hit out by Zane Ladurantaye that generated two runs and a missile line-out by Ryan (Shorty) Mckeown that reminded Bradford outfielders to give our hitters some space. In that space, Amos had 4 RBIs, while 2nd baseman Josh Lang tore up the base paths, stealing 5 bases and scoring 4 times.

Throughout the tournament, and particularly the final two games, the outfielders did much to control the game with quick relays and some spectacular Superman-like catches coming from Gabe Hemmings and Wyatt Reid.

For Coach Thomas Steffler the win was attributed to the team’s “batting average of .420, supported by some spectacular defence,” and adding that the “kids showed grit and composure…I’m very proud to see what this team has become.”

Next stop… Cooperstown!! Go Dodgers!!