THE ARTFUL DODGERS PREVAIL FOR THE OPENING DAY VICTORY OVER THE DARLIN’ CUBBIES AT CHRISTIE PITS
Game Post composed with files from Jeff Kolyn and Aaron Law
Beneath a canopy of hot and hazy skies, the Dodgers defeated the Cubs 11-8 in four innings of Peewee Division action this evening at Christie Pits Diamond 2.
Here is a Dodgers recap of the proceedings:
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The Dodgers started out hot, scoring four in the top of the first inning to stake themselves to an early 4-0 lead. Cooper (7) , Lucas (2), Joseph (10) [RBI] and Nicholas (15) [RBI] all had walks. Elliott (13) had a hit, and Wahid (9) and Rachel (8) [RBI] each were hit by a pitch. Leo (1) delivered the final RBI with a fielder’s choice to first.
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Dodgers starter Lucas (2) pitched the bottom of the first inning and recorded 3 K’s while giving up just surrendering one run to the Cubs.
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In the top of the second, the Dodgers went down in 1-2-3 fashion in the top half of the inning.
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Dodgers reliever Josh pitched the bottom of the second and gave up just one run, while striking out two Cubbies.
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And Leo made a spectacular diving play at home in the second to nab a Cubs baserunner trying to steal home on a ball that had gotten away.
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The Dodgers offense put up four runs in the top of the third to stretch their lead to 8-2. Yonah (11) sparked the team with a hit, and three stolen bases for the first run of the inning. Then Cooper had a solid single, followed by Mei (6) with a crushing RBI single that scored Cooper. Lucas then smashed a single to put two runners on for Elliott, who drove them both home with a 2 RBI double into the gap.
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In the bottom of the third, Dodgers reliever Mei held the fort nicely, including a strike out. If not for a few bad hops on the infield, Mei would have escaped the inning without much damage.
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The Dodgers added three more insurance runs in the top of the fourth, including a hit and two steals for Joseph (10), Rachel with another walk, and Leo with his second RBI generating fielder’s choice. Wahid stepped up and smashed a ball that caused some trouble for the Cubs defense, and in the end, he made it all the way around for a two run homer. Nicholas had another hit by pitch.
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In the bottom of the fourth, Dodgers closer Aaron came in and sealed the deal on the game with a rare four strikeout inning.
Here is a Cubs summary of the game:
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At the tail end of the first heat wave of the year, the Cubs fell to the Dodgers in 11 to 8 in four innings.
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The Cubs got off to a slow start in the game, but picked things up by mounting a comeback against some strong Dodgers pitching.
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The defensive highlight of the game for the Cubs was in the third when the Dodgers batting order went down in 1-2-3 fashion.
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The play of the game was one that involved all three McBurneys – Shamus (1) pitching a strike, Winn (13) fielding a grounder at second, and Nico (4) making the catch at first.
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New Cubs player, Tristan (6), contributed by catching a towering fly ball in the infield. The third out was a strike out by Shamus.